California

Ontario School Accused of Wasting Water Amid Drought

As many residents across the state of California work to conserve water during a deep drought, one school in Ontario is being accused of wasting it.

Several months ago, Ontario resident Victor Martinez noticed sprinklers watering an ample lawn during a rainstorm at Bon View Elementary School.

"It was obviously raining on my windshield. There was water runoff in the gutter and the sprinklers happened to be on," said the auto science teacher.

Martinez, who prides himself on being a good citizen, and has cut back his water use, decided to record video of the incident.

Just a few days ago, Martinez captured the water saturation again, although it wasn't raining at the time. So, when he received a letter from his local water department stating he needed to conserve 20 percent more water or he would face fines, he felt cheated.

"It kind of of bothered me," Martinez said.

Hector Macias, Asst. Superintendent at the Ontario Montclair School District said the water wasting issues at Bon View were the exception, not the rule for the district.

"We share in their concern for water conservation," said Macias, who adds the district has met and exceed state mandates for water conservation.

"We do this through having reclaimed water in half of our schools, bringing in recycled water by truck during hot days so we don't need to run sprinklers."

Macias says the district also runs sprinklers less frequently, and is looking into sensors that would automatically stop irrigation on rainy days.

The Ontario Municipal Utilities Company issued a statement regarding goals for water conservation for the city, but did not address how it applies regulations to public agencies.

"Hopefully this will shed a light on things and get people to keep track and report when things aren't right," said Martinez.

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