Water under the bridge: ‘Magnum’ settles his irrigation problem

Actor Tom Selleck has reached a tentative settlement with the California water district that sued him for taking truckloads of water from a public hydrant during a record drought. The “Magnum PI” star is accused of pilfering the water to help keep his 60-acre California ranch and avocado farm looking lush in the midst of a water shortage. The settlement still needs to be signed off on by the water district board next week, a spokesman for Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County said. However, the board has recommended its approval.

Staff believes the tentative settlement is a positive step towards an ultimate resolution of this matter.

Statement from water district official

The details of the deal can’t be released until it is formally approved, the spokesman said. According to the complaint, the water thefts occurred more than a dozen times over the span of two years. The district said it spent $22,000 on private investigators, who tracked a tanker truck taking water from a hydrant and hauling it to Selleck’s property in Westlake Village. Residents in drought-stricken Southern California have been ordered to cut water use by 25 percent amid a four-year dry spell.

We have people who probably never see their water bills because they’re quite wealthy and they have accountants who handle all of that.

Malibu Mayor John Sibert

Celebrity Tom Selleck