California state law protects the identities of many of the state’s water wasters according to a report by the Center for Investigative Reporting. Katharine Mieszkowski and Lance Williams report that a law passed in 1997 designed to protect high tech residents using excessive amounts of water. The top 100 water users in San Diego consumed over 3,000 gallons a day compared with the average household use of 349 gallons. Before 1997, public utilities had to yield customers’ bills at request under the California Public Records Act. (CIR, April 16, 2015, by Katharine Mieszkowski and Lance Williams)
The effect of the 1997 law is to shield big users, individuals, golf courses and the like from public view. In March a Riverside County Superior Court judge rejected the First Amendment Coalition ‘s lawsuit to obtain the water-use records of businesses such as golf courses. (The Lowdown, April 19, 2015, by Jonathan Low)
With California failing to conserve enough water in February, the state has stepped up efforts to kickstart improved conservation by naming water agencies whose water customers waste water. (MSN, April 8, 2015, by Fenit Nirappil of the Associated Press)