WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - A Wichita woman is frustrated after receiving a warning from the city for violating the stage two water restrictions even though she says she has never watered her lawn.
"It's very frustrating, you know, and you never know," said Reila Landrum, a resident. "So, like I said before, will they call back and say, I've done it again, and then I have a fine?"
Reila Landrum says not much happens in this quiet east Wichita neighborhood she's lived in for years, but she says she was shocked on Monday when she opened her front door to find a bright orange warning from the city.
"This is a warning, further failure to comply with the drought stage two restriction can result in an administrative fee of $50 for the first violation, and $100 for this, for the.. for each excessive violation," Landrum said.
Landrum says the city claims she's been violating the stage two water restrictions caused by the drought by watering when she wasn't supposed to. However, she says she has never watered her yard in all the years she's lived there, and that it's obvious if you compare her yard to others who do water.
"You could tell my grass doesn't get water other than the rain this morning, you know. But see his, he takes very good care of his yard, but mine, no," she said. "See I have a flower bed there, but there's no flowers there."
Landrum says she called the city and was even more frustrated by what the water department told her.
"So she says, 'Well, you we have it down here that you've been turned in, someone called in and said that you had been watering,' which I have no sprinkler system or nothing, you know, and I was just trying to figure out why me," explained Landrum.
The city confirmed with KAKE News on Wednesday that this is true. It's currently only issuing warnings if a city employee witnesses someone violating the rules, or if someone turns them in and is not verifying yet by checking meters.
Landrum says she has no idea who turned her in, but her biggest frustration is that the city took their word for it and is worried that next time, the orange slip will come at a cost.
"If I get this fine, do, is it added to my water bill? Or is this something? How can I fight that, is my question," said Landrum. "It's not like I got $50 laying around. I mean, you know, let me do something else with my $50 instead of sending a fine that I haven't created."
