City continues to waste money and water

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The city of Albuquerque is always telling people to watch their water use, but the city continues to throw tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water down the drain.
     
More than a year ago, KRQE News 13 showed viewers where water waste was occurring and now it has been discovered that it is still going on.
          
The worst offenses are at two intersections, Louisiana near Montgomery and Osuna and Ridgecrest near Gibson and San Mateo.
    
The water authority reports the two medians have racked up more than $33,000 in fines since 2011.
     
“We may still have some water going into the street. We are hoping that it will be far less waste,” Barbara Baca said.
    
Parks and Recreation Director Barbara Baca is hoping a renovation to the Louisiana median will stop the violations and save water.
    
The city is just about ready to start construction, removing some of the grass and updating the sprinkler system.

“Anytime you have turf grass in a median, you are going to have wasted water…Ridgecrest and Louisiana both have turf,” Baca said.
    
The overhaul is going to cost abut $200,000.
    
That takes care of one median, but not the other.

“The Ridgecrest medians is not funded at this point but we are working with the city councilor in the area to find some money to do some work there,” Baca said.
    
Baca says projects are put on a priority list but that the process is anything but fast.

“We have to prioritize, find the funding, and like I mentioned work with the neighborhood,” Baca said.      

The water fines could have been higher, but the water authority gave the city a waiver on the Louisiana area starting last may since it was working on redesigning the area.