LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Residents in the Las Vegas Valley have racked up roughly $12 million in excessive water use charges. Some are frustrated, including one man who says he's done all the right things and is still getting hit with the bills.
So far, 60,000 water district customers received an excessive use charge on their recent bills. Some say the fees aren't fair.
One south valley resident is frustrated and questioning his water bill. Elliot Epstein says he has paid about $45,000 to change his yard, taking out all the grass.
He showed us around the property, describing the steps he has taken to use less water over the past couple years.
"The grass used to cover the entire yard...we just finished this in the last month, we had grass- the entire area was grass."
With the changes, he says he ended up cutting his water use by a lot.
We sat down with him and he showed us a few bills, last year for the period between May 12- June 13, he used 109,000 gallons.
For this year, during the same period, he used just 63,000 gallons of water.
"So we have done our part, yet our water bill has gone up over a hundred dollars we have cut our usage by 45% year over year since July of last year, or June of last year, yet our water bill is higher," Epstein says.
He is frustrated with an excessive use charge of $279 that showed up on his recent bill, one that totaled $681.85.
Excessive use charges were added to Las Vegas Valley Water District bills this year. Customers are charged $9 per 1,000 gallons over 28,000 gallons per month.
According to the water district, 60,000 customers were hit with excessive use charges in the first six months of the year, totaling more than $12 million.
Epstein says his property is just over half an acre, and that the way the district charges customers could be more fair.
"The problem with the excessive use charge is it is not treated fairly from home to home, it really needs to be based on the size of the property."
The water district reports the average customer uses nearly 15,000 gallons a month for the May to June cycle. According to their data, the median half-acre lot customer uses less than the excessive use threshold of 28,000 gallons a month.
The general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority John Entsminger explained more about that at Tuesday's county commission meeting.
"Just focusing on half acre parcels alone, the top 10% use more than the bottom 50%. So, lot size itself is not determinitive of how much water needs to be utilized," Entsminger said.
The water district also made changes to the tier charging system, to make water use charges more equitable.
"To put us all one size fits all for the excessive use charge really is not fair , it is an attack on people in the middle class with homes of this size," said homeowner Elliot Epstein.
"I just don't think they are helping out the residents of this county by doing something like that, we all get the message we have to save water, I have done my part," he continued.
