20,000 gallons of water stolen from elementary school in drought stricken area

Think Progress  Someone stole 20,000 gallons of water from an elementary school in Bridgeville, CA over Labor Day weekend — the second water theft in the rural area over the last several weeks. According to the Humboldt County sheriff’s office, the culprit used a school garden hose to drain the water tank and carried it off in a truck. The school had to close for a day as the tank was refilled.

Another water tank in the area was drained of 20,000 gallons in July, leaving 330 people briefly without water. That tank provides water to another elementary school, a fire station, the post office, and a state park campground.

Humboldt County, a remote northern California region dominated by cattle ranches and marijuana farms, has been hit especially hard by the drought afflicting California and other Western states.