A Hamptons water agency turned the hose on rich residents who are siphoning off all of the water in the area.
The Suffolk County Water Authority released a list showing the biggest water users in the Hamptons, 27East reported. The agency has requested homeowners adjust watering schedules and reduce use when possible to preserve the system.
The average Suffolk County home uses 130,000 gallons per year, according to the water authority. For comparison, the top 10 users in Southampton Town each used more than five million gallons from June 2020 to July 2021.
A Meadow Lane property owned by Ickenham Limited easily led the list of the Hamptons’ top water users, which was compiled with data from Freedom of Information Act requests. The home used more than 16.4 million gallons of water during the recorded span.
Joann Goldsman, the wife of screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, ranked second with more than 9 million gallons used.
Jonathan Tisch’s Bridgehampton home (Google Maps)
A familiar name ranks third: Loews Hotels co-chairman Jonathan Tisch. His Bridgehampton home guzzled nearly 7.2 million gallons of water in the last year.
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Another notable name placing in the top 10 is Louise Blouin, whose Gin Lane estate used more than 5.7 million gallons of water. Considering a two-tiered rate schedule charging more to those who exceed a certain usage threshold, Blouin may want to cut back, as her home at 366 Gin Lane is in bankruptcy.
366 Gin Lane in Southampton (OutEast)
Blouin recently put the entire estate on the market for $150 million.
The biggest strain on the water system is automatic sprinkler systems, likely a given for most the top users with plenty of acreage to water, along with some massive estates guzzling gallons for geothermal heating and cooling systems. The local authority wants to disincentivize major water use without raising prices for the more average user.
The water authority declared a water emergency in parts of the Hamptons at the beginning of the month, calling for customers to stop irrigation overnight, reduce shower times and lessen nonessential water use. Officials told Newsday those claims have largely fallen on deaf ears.
Seven of the 10 biggest water culprits in the Hamptons are in Southampton, while two are in Sagaponack and one is Tisch’s Bridgehampton home.
— Holden Walter-Warner