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Water Wasters Ratted Out In Concord

CONCORD (CBS SF) -- Water wasters in Concord are being ratted out by neighbors in the midst of California's severe drought.

One Concord business owner was turned in after sprinklers leaked for a couple of weeks when the Contra Costa Water District got a complaint.

Park N Shop property manager Paul Sinz wasn't surprised about the gushing sprinklers, which he says teenage vandals like to break.

"It happens on a fairly regular basis, the kids in the summertime like to vandalize the sprinklers, knock off the sprinklers and see the water shoot up straight in the air," he said.

The vandalism costs the center up to $3,000 a month - but Sinz takes issue with the notion he's wasting water.   He says sprinklers run no more than 7 minutes, three days a week.   They've planted drought tolerant trees and are using rock instead of green landscaping.

"Based on the last water bill the center received we are 29 percent under our baseline usage," Sinz said.

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