From GV Wire:
Enforcement of Fresno’s water conservation rules could soon move into the big data era.
Critics wonder if “Big Brother” might be a better description.
The city’s Department of Public Utilities will ask councilmembers to approve a pilot program that would use data from residential water meters to assess fines for violations of the city’s outdoor lawn watering rules.
Fresno installed Smart Meters in 2013 to comply with state law. The meters automatically transmit hourly water usage data to the city. In 2017, the city council established a water usage threshold of 300 gallons in an hour for residential customers on non-watering days.
Any use beyond the 300-gallon threshold is considered a violation. The first offense results in a warning notice from the city. After that, residents are fined $50 for the second violation, $100 for the third and $200 for every violation thereafter.
If a customer violates the rules for six consecutive months, water at the address could be turned off by the city.
Former Fresno County Supervisor and noted water policy critic Doug Vagim wonders if this is a case of overreach.
“The whole question of Big Brother is watching and the question of whether the process that examines data from a private dwelling, is it a violation of the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?” Vagim asked.
Read more here.