Santa Cruz

Man Fined $3,000 Over Leaky Toilet, Avoids Paying by Attending “Water School”

A city in California is taking the drought very seriously.

The Santa Cruz Water Department slapped a $3,000 fine on a man for a leak caused by a running toilet, NBC affiliate KSBW reported Wednesday.

The man had the leaky toilet for eight days, the station reported.

The man, who was not identified, was able to avoid the hefty penalty by deciding to attend “water school,” a free, one-time class which teaches participants how to manage water at their property, read a water meter, find and fix leaks among other things.

Santa Cruz Water Department conservation manager Toby Goddard told KSBW that the penalty for having a running toilet for eight days ranged between $3,000 to $4,000.

“That's a terrible situation, of course it was eliminated by his attending water school,” he said.

Santa Cruz city officials are cracking down on water wasters, with residents paying more than half a million dollars in fines since the city declared a Stage 3 drought emergency two months ago.

Goddard said most of the fines were rescinded after water wasters attended water school, which is held on Monday nights.

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