An elderly Mendocino, California, couple is fuming after 3,000 gallons of water was reportedly stolen from their above-ground storage tank this weekend.
Kathy Dimaio, 87, was so angry with the theft, which she estimates drained her of $1,000 of water, that all she could say was, “this is just… aurghrgh!” according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat newspaper.
It’s the second time this year that the couple has suffered from a water heist, although they weren’t convinced that the first incident – which took place in January – was a theft.
The couple had been using the water, which was pumped from a well, for their garden.
According to the newspaper, the Dimaio’s home is just 16 miles away from a school which was forced to shut down for one day after nearly 13,000 gallons of water disappeared in January.
Authorities were not able to confirm if the missing water was due to a theft; however, the paper notes that “the issue of water diversions from wells and natural watersources, typically for illegal marijuana gardens, remains an issueregion-wide.”
California is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in the state’s history, which has prompted Governor Brown to issue an executive order and statewide alert in which he’s even asked that restaurants only serve water to patrons upon request.