KTVU investigates incidents of water waste in Pleasant Hill

PLEASANT HILL, Calif. (KTVU) - During the on-going drought, many Bay Area residents are doing all they can to save water.

KTVU has been investigating cases of water waste in the city of Pleasant Hill, after we saw instances of waste.

A housing complex on Gregory Lane is where we saw the most egregious example of water wasting. And just a few blocks away is City Hall, which also has a problem.

The Rolling Green housing development is so named because of all of its grass. "I like this complex because it's open," said resident Nancy Pulpaneck.

Keeping the grass green in a drought is a challenge, but the complex has handled it well. "I know that we are 5 percent below the compliance level indicated by the water district," says resident Jay Clifton.

But it's likely Rolling Green would be even more water efficient if it didn't waste so much while watering the lawn.

A KTVU crew shot surprising video around midnight last Thursday. For at least 20 minutes, you could see the sidewalk and even the street getting soaked.

There are half a dozen sprinkler heads that water far more than just grass. We shared the video with residents.

"That doesn't surprise me that that is occurring. And it is a concern to all of us," said Clifton.

They were disappointed by the waste, and said they'd be contacting their homeowners association.

"Unfortunately, that's one of those things that we can't turn around all at once. And it's not like it's not like every sidewalk is being watered, it's in isolated places," added Clifton.

Just down the street, we found more waste at City Hall. It uses well-water, but officials were still disappointed to see so much of it going down the drain. "Water is a good thing to use in its right place. We don't want to waste any. We can't waste any," said Pleasant Hill Maintenance Superintendent Mike Nielsen.

Both cases highlight a problem with watering within the required water district parameters.

The restrictions require people to water after dark, and many irrigation systems are set to water overnight, when most residents are not around to see any problems.

"People probably don't come here. The person who's in charge of the watering probably is not here at midnight, maybe they should come at midnight and look. And when you find out, you do something about it," said Pulpaneck.

Everyone from the city to the homeowners association says they need help spotting these water-wasting problems.

In fact, Pleasant Hill has enlisted its police officers who patrol at night to report such issues. KTVU told the water district about the housing development's issues, which has already met with staff there to address the problems.