Landowners tapped for unpaid water use

Some water meters had been tampered with. Others were defective or broken. Unauthorized connections were found at a car wash, a marina, the Wollaston Yacht Club, an MBTA commuter ferry terminal, and several other properties.

The property owners have denied any wrongdoing. Regardless, Quincy officials are now negotiating with them in the hope of recouping some money.

“Based on the circumstances, we’ve inferred there was an intentional bypass of the system, and they should be repaying us for that reason,’’ said City Solicitor James Timmins.

It is a problem that is not unique to Quincy. Illegal hookups lurk in the shadows of water systems across the state. Utility officials have reported an increase in customers tampering with water meters, and water theft appears to be on the rise, Jennifer A. Pederson, executive director of the Massachusetts Water Works Association.

“The city of Springfield has seen a big increase in, basically, people stealing water,’’ said Pederson. “Other communities have seen this as well, given the economy and that people can’t pay their bills. I think it’s getting worse because of the current economic climate.’’

According to Timmins, Quincy discovered its water meter problems in early 2008. Soon after Mayor Thomas Koch took office, his administration teamed up with the Massachusetts Division of Local Services to review the city’s finances. One of the first things they noticed, said Timmins: “We were having problems in the water and sewer account.’’

The city hired consultants to conduct an audit of the water and sewer billing systems, and city employees went out to inspect meters. They found several properties that had not been getting billed, and identified seven that appeared to have intentionally bypassed the system.

According to city records, those properties were the Wollaston Yacht Club on Quincy Shore Drive; Clipper Marina at 75 Palmer St.; Suds Plus Car Wash at 2 Miller St.; Fore River Shipyard Pier #1 at 551 South St.; the MBTA commuter ferry terminal at 739 Washington St.; state Department of Conservation and Recreation property at Wollaston Beach; and a MassHighway facility by Granite Avenue and the Southeast Expressway.

It is not clear how much water was used at each place, or how long the problems lasted, according to Timmins. When asked why a government agency like the Department of Conservation and Recreation or MassHighway would intentionally bypass the city’s water meter system, Timmins replied: “They may have hooked into a water main without notifying us.’’

The problems have since been fixed, said Timmins, and newly installed meters are getting inspected periodically.

The property owners targeted by the city say they’ve done nothing wrong.

The owners of the Clipper Marina were notified that a single hose was hooked up improperly, and it was “corrected immediately,’’ said Tom O’Connell of Marina Bay Management LLC, which manages the marina and the adjacent apartment complex.

O’Connell said it was an honest mistake - the marina existed before the apartment complex was built, and the fact that a single hose on the docks was connected improperly “was certainly an oversight.’’ O’Connell said last year’s water bill from that hose amounted to $290.33, and the bill was paid in full. (O’Connell said the marina’s bathrooms and showers, as well as the apartment complex, have always been connected to the main water meter. He noted that they paid over $71,000 in water bills last year.)

At the MBTA commuter ferry terminal, water is used for the restrooms, filling tanks on the vessels, and cleaning the terminal and vessels, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. “The MBTA was notified of the situation last spring, and a water meter was immediately installed,’’ said Pesaturo, in an e-mail. “Since that time, the T’s commuter boat operator has been paying for the water.’’ Before the T acquired the property in 2004, it was owned by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, said Pesaturo.

At the Miller Street car wash, the water meter “clearly had been tampered with,’’ said Michael J. Coffey, the city’s public works business manager. Water department staff discovered this in February, say city records.

The operator of the car wash, Anthony Ruscito, sees it differently. He said the car wash has always paid for its water and blamed the city for being unresponsive. He said a meter had been accidentally damaged during renovations, and it was reported to the city right away.

“If we were doing anything wrong,’’ he said, “why would we call the city inspectors in?’’

The Department of Conservation and Recreation also denied any wrongdoing. Four years ago, the agency installed foot showers and water fountains along Wollaston Beach as part of multimillion-dollar renovation project. The work was inspected and approved by the city, according to department spokeswoman Wendy Fox. Over the past few years, the state has been making payments on estimated water bills, she said. “If the city wants water meters to be installed, DCR is happy to work with the city,’’ said Fox.

Meanwhile, Quincy is moving forward with its plans to install a new water meter-reading system throughout the city. “That will allow us to get reads from pretty much every meter in the city whenever we want to get it,’’ said Coffey. Once that is in place, the city will be able to monitor usage more closely and flag properties where water usage fluctuates.

Quincy public works officials have also proposed an ordinance that would institute additional fees and fines that make it “cost-prohibitive to take water’’ without properly paying for it.

As it stands, explained Coffey, “the penalties for monkeying around with the system are very, very low.’’

According to a state law passed in 1914, the fine for tampering or removing a water meter is $100.

The Massachusetts Water Works Association is backing legislation that would update that statute and stiffen penalties. The bill, filed by state Senator James B. Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, would raise the fine from $100 to triple the amount of damages or $1,000, whichever is greater. Damages would include the cost of the water, and the labor and equipment needed to repair or replace the water meter.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.