'Water hog' apologizes, cuts back

[madinmaryland]

:wow:

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- After Cobb County’s single biggest residential water user was exposed on Channel 2, talk radio and national newscasts picked up the story. Now, officials in Cobb County say the man using a thousand hot tubs worth of water is getting the message.

Cobb County Chairman Sam Olens said the owner of 4151 Thunderbird Drive told the water department he didn’t know how bad the water crisis was. He’s now vowing to comply with Cobb’s strict new water policies and the numbers show he’s making progress.

"Well separate from it making the news, it's obscene," said Olens.

Olens said he heard from the water department just how it was that Chris George Carlos was using so much water at his 5-acre estate. It seems the 30-day exemption on new plantings never ran out because Carlos had his own personal landscaper planting continuously.

"He assured us that he told his landscaper to permit no outdoor landscaping water use at all and that he would be fully compliant in the future," said Olens.

Cobb officials just took the November reading and the numbers are telling. Remember the house's October reading? That notorious 440,000 gallons of water? The new reading is 121,000 gallons -- a drop of more than 70 percent. "But that too was still too high," said Olens.

Despite the national press and the attention of talk radio, Carlos has never responded to Channel 2's request for his side of the story. But he better respond to the county's get tough policies. "And we're going to all the larger water users and expressly telling them that we are monitoring their houses daily and that they will comply with the revised drought plan," said Olens.

Olens said after being fined a couple of times for violations, Cobb County will cut off their water.

Officials just read the meter again during a spot check and Carlos is using 2,000 gallons a day. Instead of gulping enough water for 60 homes, it’s down to about 9 homes.

..snip

[MrCoffee]

1. check the hydro grow farm in the east wing

[AlCzervik]

4. Lol! Party at Carlos's house, bring your grape swishers.

[hlthe2b]

5. Yeah... and how about dumping the G/D swimming pools!

Geebus!

[redqueen]

2. He needs to introduce his landscaper to the concept of Xeriscaping. (nt)

[begin_within]

3. That reminds me of when Maureen O'Connor was the mayor of San Diego,

and she was going all around trumpeting "water conversation" because we were in a drought period, and then it was revealed that she was one of the city's largest private water users. She had 2 meters on her property, "one for fish and trees" and one for the house. It turned into a mini-scandal, which, like so many scandals of the rich, got swept under the rug rather quickly.

[blondeatlast]

6. Even with the size of that house, that's still a tremendous amount of water.

He had no idea the crisis there was so bad?!

Does the name "Howard Hughes" register with Mr. Carlos?!

[texastoast]

8. Or Bill Gates n/t

[Warpy]

12. My guess is that his bed linens and those of his guests

are washed daily. I'm guessing he's got multiple full body showers. I'm guessing the dishwasher is run at least ten times a day, mostly empty except for cups and saucers. My guess is that much of his water use is dedicated to keeping everything within view from inside that house being kept green and parklike.

My guess is that he also feels perfectly entitled to all of the above.

[Blaze Diem]

15. Not to mention, he probably has the swimming pools drained and

water replaced every week.
Gluttonous pig. Bet he pays very little taxes too. Bush has offered generous loopholes for the privileged.

[blondeatlast]

18. As a pool owner myself, I'm not even sure that could be done.

Mine is miniscule compared to his (approx. 14x28 feet for mine). It was completed last year and it took almost 2 1/2 days to fill it (let me add that the deepest spot is only 5 feet). It would be neither convenient or attractive to backflush that often and it would be hell on the filter. Noisy as hell, too.

Even the One Percenters wouldn't tolerate that kind of inconvenience and blight. I think Warpy's on to something. God forbid a dirty dish would be left in the sink or a towel used twice in a row; I mean, the neighbors would talk!

[BrklynLiberal]

7. How does someone that stupid get to be so rich???

[aquart]

9. Low inheritance taxes?

[kestrel91316]

10. That's my question. Obviously he considers trivial matters like

THE CITY OF ATLANTA RUNNING OUT OF WATER to be not worthy of his attention. My guess is he's simply too busy counting his money and scheming how to get more of it and finding innovative ways to display his wealth to pay any mind to such petty social and environmental matters.

[MrCoffee]

11. 440,000 gallons in one month...this guy is absolutely growing pot

are you kidding me? come on, he's got a massive hydro operation in there.

[Bonobo]

14. Dude, nobody grows THAT much!

440,000 month = 14,666 gallons/day.

Even if we said that 1 plant requires 1 gallon/day (which it does NOT), that would be 14,666 pot plants! Impossible.

[MrCoffee]

16. well, not ALL of it is going to production

he's got a nice pool, i'm sure he takes a shower every so often, the lawn looks pretty green...

[Zywiec]

13. Are public utility bills available to anyone?

How was this story uncovered? :shrug:

[supernova]

17. So he's ODing on water and has to taper off?

like a junkie?

:wtf:

Using 100,000 gallons the first week of November is still stupid.

He didn't know the water crisis was THAT bad? Where has he been living... under a rock?

[blondeatlast]

19. One Percenter life. God forbid there should be some sacrifice. nt