LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Residents in Clark County are raising concerns over what they claim are unfair water bills, fees, and fines, despite efforts to conserve water through desert landscaping.
Susan Pomerantz, an East Las Vegas resident, was shocked to find her recent water bill exceeding $130, despite having converted her front yard to a desert landscape over a decade ago. “I did not want to deal with any grass, no sprinklers, anything,” Pomerantz said.
Pomerantz claimed that a Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) phone operator attributed the increase to watering flowers and foliage. However, a visit to her front and backyard revealed they were devoid of greenery. Pomerantz recounted an encounter with an LVVWD truck outside her home, saying, “I pulled in and I had came out to talk to him and he had drove off. So I could not speak to him because I wanted to ask, ‘Why are you here? What is going on?’ And he took off.”
Lesley Feeney, another Clark County resident, shared a similar experience. Despite efforts to reduce water usage, Feeney said she continues to face fines. “And even when you do comply, I am still getting fined,” she said. Feeney, a single mother, claimed the LVVWD’s fines have prevented her from using autopay, resulting in additional late fees.
“This is above and beyond by far,” Feeney said. “When you reach out and you say ‘Hey, I am trying to work through this with you, help me.’ And they do not care, and they do not pick it up and you do not know where to go to, then what do you do?”
Pomerantz, who lives alone with her two dogs, expressed frustration over the situation. “I do not make a ton of money. I am a single woman who lives here by myself with my two dogs. Unless like I told you they are getting in the sink playing water polo and I do not know it and that is why my bill is so high and then they know I am coming home and they turn it off but we know that ain’t happening,” she said…