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Limestone Ranch HOA discussion

SAWS watering fine

Adolfo Matamoros

Tue, Dec 5, 2023 2:15 AM

We received a fine from the city for using our sprinkler system on the wrong day, which is impossible to have happened because our sprinkler system has been off for a while.

I believe the inspector mistook our septic sprinklers for a sprinkler system or wrote down the wrong address.

Does anybody have any advice on challenging the fine in court, or is it a waste of time?

We received a fine from the city for using our sprinkler system on the wrong day, which is impossible to have happened because our sprinkler system has been off for a while. I believe the inspector mistook our septic sprinklers for a sprinkler system or wrote down the wrong address. Does anybody have any advice on challenging the fine in court, or is it a waste of time?

Courtney Van Delden

Tue, Dec 5, 2023 1:15 PM

Hi Adolfo,

I own a septic company and can assure you that you are not the first person to have experienced this issue. I wanted to provide some direction that has helped our customers in the past. Below are the steps I would take:

Prove you have an aerobic system. I would start by obtaining a copy of your septic permit to show in court. This permit will indicate your system has spray heads that could have been mistaken for irrigation. To obtain a copy of your permit you can call Bexar County Environmental at 210-335-6700.
Prove you have spray heads in the front yard (assuming they saw the spray from the street).

a. The permit will include a layout of where your heads and the spray area were installed during installation. As long as nothing has changed, then the layout will prove you have spray heads in the yard that could have been seen from the street during their drive-by, which could have been mistaken for irrigation.

b. You could also take pictures of your purple-topped aerobic system spray heads to prove that you have non-irrigation heads (aerobic system heads are required to be purple-topped).

c. You could challenge them by asking them show you pictures of the actual spray heads that they saw spraying. They may have pictures of the water spraying out, but likely not the actual heads so it would be hard for them to prove whether or not they saw your irrigation (green or black) or aerobic system (purple) spraying.

d. You could also take pictures from the street of your aerobic heads actually spraying so that they can see what it looks like and how easily it can be mistaken for irrigation heads.

You could additionally ask your TCEQ licensed Maintenance Provider to write a short letter indicating the above.

I hope this helps! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions: 210-698-2000.

Best wishes,

Courtney Van Delden Supplee

-----Original Message-----
From: Adolfo Matamoros via Discussion discussion@lists.limestoneranchhoa.com
Sent: Monday, December 4, 2023 8:16 PM
To: Limestone Ranch HOA discussion discussion@lists.limestoneranchhoa.com
Cc: Adolfo Matamoros amatamor@me.com
Subject: [Limestone Ranch Discussion]SAWS watering fine

We received a fine from the city for using our sprinkler system on the wrong day, which is impossible to have happened because our sprinkler system has been off for a while.

I believe the inspector mistook our septic sprinklers for a sprinkler system or wrote down the wrong address.

Does anybody have any advice on challenging the fine in court, or is it a waste of time?

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Hi Adolfo, I own a septic company and can assure you that you are not the first person to have experienced this issue. I wanted to provide some direction that has helped our customers in the past. Below are the steps I would take: 1. Prove you have an aerobic system. I would start by obtaining a copy of your septic permit to show in court. This permit will indicate your system has spray heads that could have been mistaken for irrigation. To obtain a copy of your permit you can call Bexar County Environmental at 210-335-6700. 2. Prove you have spray heads in the front yard (assuming they saw the spray from the street). a. The permit will include a layout of where your heads and the spray area were installed during installation. As long as nothing has changed, then the layout will prove you have spray heads in the yard that could have been seen from the street during their drive-by, which could have been mistaken for irrigation. b. You could also take pictures of your purple-topped aerobic system spray heads to prove that you have non-irrigation heads (aerobic system heads are required to be purple-topped). c. You could challenge them by asking them show you pictures of the actual spray heads that they saw spraying. They may have pictures of the water spraying out, but likely not the actual heads so it would be hard for them to prove whether or not they saw your irrigation (green or black) or aerobic system (purple) spraying. d. You could also take pictures from the street of your aerobic heads actually spraying so that they can see what it looks like and how easily it can be mistaken for irrigation heads. You could additionally ask your TCEQ licensed Maintenance Provider to write a short letter indicating the above. I hope this helps! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions: 210-698-2000. Best wishes, Courtney Van Delden Supplee -----Original Message----- From: Adolfo Matamoros via Discussion <discussion@lists.limestoneranchhoa.com> Sent: Monday, December 4, 2023 8:16 PM To: Limestone Ranch HOA discussion <discussion@lists.limestoneranchhoa.com> Cc: Adolfo Matamoros <amatamor@me.com> Subject: [Limestone Ranch Discussion]SAWS watering fine We received a fine from the city for using our sprinkler system on the wrong day, which is impossible to have happened because our sprinkler system has been off for a while. I believe the inspector mistook our septic sprinklers for a sprinkler system or wrote down the wrong address. Does anybody have any advice on challenging the fine in court, or is it a waste of time? _______________________________________________ Discussion mailing list -- discussion@lists.limestoneranchhoa.com To unsubscribe send an email to discussion-leave@lists.limestoneranchhoa.com To manage your subscription to this list, or to unsubscribe, please visit: