By D'Val Westphal / Of the Journal

Albuquerque taxpayers have poured $470,680 down the drain in the past five years.

Literally.

That’s how much the city has been fined for violating the water waste ordinance, which applies to customers of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority.

The issue came up when a Journal reader asked whether the city ever gets fined for wasting water on its landscaped medians after observing the “beautiful Academy median, west of Antares, (being irrigated) at 1:30 p.m.”

And although that midday watering violation in June wasn’t recorded by the authority – ordinance requires that it catch water wasters wet-handed, so to speak – plenty of others have been. The authority uses a rolling five-year graduated system, meaning violations stay on your record for five years, with each bringing a heftier fine. Since 2011, it has recorded 647 violations on city properties – namely parks and medians. And they have been the worst violators.

Water authority public affairs manager David Morris says “598 were for parks and 49 were for medians.”

“Burton Park (off Carlisle SE), with 20 violations for $42,400, is the top fine-getter among all accounts,” he says

[Los Altos Park irrigation got the city fined Aug. 19 for spraying into the street. Fines start at $20 and hit $2,000 on the ninth and subsequent violations. (Courtesy of ABCWUA)]

Los Altos Park irrigation got the city fined Aug. 19 for spraying into the street. Fines start at $20 and hit $2,000 on the ninth and subsequent violations. (Courtesy of ABCWUA)

In fact, the top eight violators belong to the city. Click here to read the full article.