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Water Going Down Drain, City Officials Say

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 16, 2007

Updated: 11/15/2007 09:44 pm

PORT RICHEY - There are only a couple of sprinkler heads on the irrigation system at a U.S. 19 carwash next to Wal-Mart, enough to water several small patches of grass.

So city officials became suspicious when they recently learned the busy USA Auto Wash franchise was using thousands of gallons of water a month on irrigation.

Officials said they determined the business was using irrigation water to wash cars, which is illegal, and pumping wastewater into the city's sewage system without paying for it.
Carwash owner Douglas Long contends he's done nothing illegal.

"I think they've got their facts wrong," he said. "It's disturbing that they would accuse me of doing something illegal. I've done everything that I can to save every drop of water."

But officials say Long is one of several property owners who have been abusing the city's water system, costing Port Richey millions of dollars in lost utility revenue.

They estimate more than 10 million gallons a month has gone down the drain.
Interim City Manager James Mathieu and Councilman Dale Massad started investigating after they noticed numerous discrepancies in city water bills from the past year.

They found Port Richey was pumping more water than it was getting paid for.

"We've lost more than a million dollars in revenue that would otherwise be going into the city's utility fund," Massad said. "That's a significant amount of money from the budget."
Massad and Mathieu have not figured out where all the water went.

Some of it might be faulty meters or leaking hookups, but a good portion is being stolen, they suggest.

"If it was leaking, someone would see a puddle somewhere," Massad said.

Making matters worse, they don't know how many years it has been going on.

"That's what really bothers me," Massad said, "that this was overlooked for so long."

Water purchases weigh heavily on the city's budget. More than 40 percent of its water comes from New Port Richey, which adds up to more than $400,000 a year.

Port Richey also lacks a sewage treatment plant, which means it has to pay Pasco County to treat millions of gallons of wastewater discharged into the sewer system.

Port Richey is preparing to tap several new wells capable of pumping millions of gallons a day, which is expected to end the city's reliance on its next-door neighbor.

But in the interim, city officials are negotiating a settlement with the carwash's owner, who they estimate owes more than $15,000 in wastewater charges.

"We're going to get reimbursed," Massad said.

"That's the bottom line."

They're also drawing up a list of other potential violators across the city.

"We'll be going door to door," he said.

"The water cops will be on patrol."

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (727) 815-1082 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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