Billy Beane among highest water users during drought

Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics is among the top excessive water users in the East Bay, which is experiencing a significant drought, according to a report provided late Thursday by the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

For a guy who built his Major League Baseball celebrity on getting the most out of the supposed least, Billy Beane sure plays fast and loose with drought-parched California’s precious water supply.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that Beane used an average of 5,996 gallons per day this summer, 24 times the district average. Most of the excess water was used outdoors for lawns, landscaping, swimming pools and hot tubs, she said, and undetected leaks are a common problem. “Drip irrigation doesn’t help if you have a leak you didn’t know about”.

Kirkland served as Chevron’s vice chairman and executive vice president.

The list shows excessive water use from September.

The majority of the excess users were located in warmer, more affluent Contra Costa County communities with large yards, including Alamo, Danville, Orinda and Lafayette.

The district released the names and consumption in response to a public records request by this newspaper and other media outlets covering the drought.

As annoying as they may be, the water restrictions are working.

The East Bay Municipal Utility District as a whole has cut water use 31 percent this year. But a 1997 state law declared customer information private except under certain exceptions – including cases where customers are penalized for violating a distinct policy, water officials say.

The list of 1,108 names is not complete, according to Abby Figueroa, district spokeswoman, including only about a third of the district’s residential custormers. Billing is spread out over a two-month period.