Local Agency Goes On Patrol In Search Of Water Wasters Amid California Drought

RANCHO CUCAMONGA (CBSLA.com) — A local agency is keeping a close eye on water wasters with California's drought reaching critical levels.

CBS2's Tom Wait went along with District Supervisor Eric Chamberlain from the Cucamonga Valley Water District as he patrolled Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday in search of water wasters.

As Wait reports, it didn't take long for Chamberlain to find a leak.

"I would say it's been going for awhile," he said.

The water district is one of the largest water agencies in the Inland Empire and serves 200,000 customers.

"There's clearly an active flow of water coming from the home here and how I'm able to confirm that is at the water meter, there's a low-flow indicator," he said.

Chamberlain says the home is a good example of a residence where residents may be unaware they have a leak.

Chamberlain used a sensor to find the broken line and flagged it for the owner, who was not home during the visit.

"That made the difference. They gave me the volume," said Ted Allen, another resident, who was accidentally flushing away more than 2,700 gallons of water a month due to a faulty pool sensor.

"I knew that it had to be something rather significant. It's not the leak of a faucet. And so the only big body of water was this guy," Allen said referring to his pool.

The good news: water consumption in the Cucamonga Valley Water District is down about 30 percent from April to May thanks in part to the weather.

But as the summer season approaches, water districts are urging residents to be vigilant as conservation becomes even more critical.