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For the ninth time since 2001, WW published a list of the 20 Portlanders who used the most water on their private properties in the past year (“Hydro Hogs,” Aug. 25, 2021). Those gargantuan guzzlers range from the new owner of Bamboo Sushi to a sitting state senator to the CEO of Columbia Sportswear. Here’s what our readers had to say:
Joe Dirte, via wweek.com: “I own a home with a sizable property and many different plant species in the garden. These people’s excuses are entirely bullshit. ‘Oh, we are just learning the property still,’ ‘Oh, we are getting a new sprinkler, that’s the ticket!,’ ‘Oh, how embarrassing, let me signal my virtues but continue to use shit-tons of water!’ Give me a break…the truth is they don’t give a fuck and like green grass.”
Amber Patel, via Facebook: “Many more businesses (Nike campus) that should be on this list. Shaming individuals and their home locations with photos is inappropriate. Why not have an article on how to switch to lower-flow irrigation or helpful information.”
David Benson, via Facebook: “One of the best article series that WW publishes. It’s good to out these people for the lack of responsibility and call them on their cost to society as a whole. They rely on being anonymous to keep being able to use their resources in ways that cost everyone else instead of contributing.”
Do0fus, via wweek.com: “My primary thoughts are: Wow, that’s a lot of ugly McMansions. Willamette Week needs to include the lot sizes in the stats with gallons and bill; otherwise, there’s no context for usage. I have a gray water system and am super economical, but I still use 60,000 gallons per year on a mere one-third of an acre. Someone with 10 times more land, plus a pool, etc.—using 600,000 per year doesn’t seem unreasonable.”
Josi B, via wweek.com: “Isn’t Bamboo Sushi ostensibly all about ‘sustainable’ seafood? Ironic that their owner is #1 on this list.”
@TobikoRice, via Twitter: “What a waste—but it subsidizes low-income utility relief.”
Renee Gorham, via Facebook: “Doesn’t the majority of your water bill go towards massive sewer infrastructure repairs that benefit the entire city? While water conservation should be a priority to everyone, perhaps an article about how to transition your landscape to minimal water usage such as xeriscaping and low-flow irrigation would be more proactive.”
Steverino, via wweek.com: “Make a bet that any of the offenders won’t do anything? That’s a ‘little people problem’ to fix.”
HYDRO HOGS MEAN LOWER WATER RATES
Here we go again, the ritual shaming of big Portland water customers, flogged in the public square by the pious puritan publishers of Willamette Week. The net result of embarrassing them into curbing their water consumption? Higher water rates for the rest of us. Allow me to explain. As the article accurately reports, Portland has an overabundance of water available from the Bull Run system since our collective water consumption has been steadily declining for 20 years. A largely fixed-cost water system divided by a shrinking number of gallons sold equals—voilà!, ever higher water rates to compensate for lower sales volume and revenue. So if you’re one of those spoon-fed Willamette Week readers sneering at the water hogs, condemning their green lawns and hedgerows, think for a moment about the practical implication of their gluttony—they’re subsidizing the rest of us. If only there were more water hogs, maybe Portland’s water rates wouldn’t be higher than Phoenix, Arizona’s. Consider that the next time you open your absurdly high water bill. In the meantime, I’ll be the rare Portlander who says: Thank you, water hogs, you’re doing your small part to make Portland slightly more affordable for the rest of us. Guzzle away, my friends!
Kent Craford
Citizens for Water Accountability, Trust & Reform
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: mzusman@wweek.com.
