Miranda Waterboard Settles With Alleged Water Thieving Construction Company

IMG_0558

Tanker truck at work after loading up with water from Miranda last year. [All photos provided by Jason Saloman]

Last year’s water theft from Miranda by a contractor ended with a large check recently made out to the town’s waterboard. On September 21 last year, Jason Salomon, then the director of the Miranda Community Service District saw a large water tanker straddling a handicap parking space and hooked up to a hydrant. He confronted them with stealing water and contacted us.

Salomon and the District were concerned not only because of the loss during a drought but because shutting off a hydrant incorrectly can cause serious and expensive damage to their system. One incorrect shut down by a thief had left residents without water for days.

Later, we learned that the same construction company. Myers and Sons Construction, that owned the tanker had been in trouble before for taking water from Garberville at least twice.

Miranda Community Service District demanded restitution and recently a check was deposited in their account. Salomon declined to give the amount.

According to Saloman, the Garberville water district has put in a place a new ordinance that states anyone caught stealing water or tampering with their system could be fined $10,000. The Garberville ordinance reportedly was inspired by the settlement Miranda received.

According to Doug Bryan, Vice Chair of the Garberville Water District, “I suggested the $10000 penalty amount for illegal taking of water from GSD because…I wanted the penalty to be greater than the amount someone could make by selling the water.”

Miranda will also be adopting that ordinance soon, Saloman said.

Miranda Communtiy Service District agreed not to press charges against Myers and Son after settling out of court. However, neither Humboldt County nor the state of California are part of that agreement and could choose to press charges.

Earlier stories: 

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules

Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

14 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
sharon
Guest
7 years ago

What a shady, shitty company that is! It’s the peoples fault in so hum if they keep doing bizz with this crap contracter. Take away their contracters liscence! Probably related to a stupidvisor, Bohn, now that’s one shadey asshole.

Troller McPoint
Guest
7 years ago

Scumbag business as usual. Deplete resources pay a small fine. Get away with robbing the ecosystem. Not to mention fucking future generations.

I think it’s also vital to find out who purchased the water. I mean it’s easy to bust the transporter but isn’t purchasing stolen material illegal?

“Shut him up!” -Bill Hicks

Thanks for the pot bros! I mean sons!

onlooker
Guest
onlooker
7 years ago

How about installing security cameras at sites where water can be stolen? A license plate/ image of the thief can stop this pretty quick.

Big louie
Guest
Big louie
7 years ago

Thay would just steal the camera

Ernie Branscomb
Guest
Ernie Branscomb
7 years ago

It’s cheaper to pay the water company, if they get caught, than to pay Fish, Game and wildlife fines.

G-ma
Guest
G-ma
7 years ago

If they even have a license,it should have been pulled.people like them make it hard on the honest folks.SHAME SHAME so lame!I’d let everyone know their business practices,for sure.

MCSD
Guest
MCSD
7 years ago

There was a camera that caught the entire theft, the company was Myers and sons and they were the ones that payed the fine, the supervisor in control of the job was fired and cal trams has launched a private investigation wanting receipts and records from where they obtained water for their prior jobs

G-ma
Guest
G-ma
7 years ago
Reply to  MCSD

Sweet!!good I hope no one ever does business with them again around here.

veterans friend
Guest
veterans friend
7 years ago

Perhaps waterboarding is in order…

G-ma
Guest
G-ma
7 years ago

Lol.thats Frickin funny.thanks I needed that

Robert Ulibarri
Guest
Robert Ulibarri
7 years ago

Water thefts are common there. Shelter Cove looses an estimated 30,000 gallons a month from water poachers. Ironically, it’s growers that are stealing water.

SuperDuperD
Guest
SuperDuperD
7 years ago

Let’s bring back the ole tar and feather routine, parading these thieves around the entire county in the back of a flatbed so everyone can see them

lawful
Guest
lawful
7 years ago

Myers & Sons Construction
http://www.myers-sons.com/
Challenges are constant in every industry and Myers and Sons Construction was created to meet those challenges. Our founder C.C. Myers has built Myers and …
Contact Us | Myers & Sons Construction
http://www.myers-sons.com/contact
California Office. Myers and Sons Construction 4600 Northgate Bl

trackback

[…] In 2015, the tiny town of Miranda, successfully (with the help of stories in Redheaded Blackbelt), pushed a construction company accused of water theft from their hydrants to provide an undisclosed sum in reparations.  […]