Water under the bridge: Selleck settles his irrigating problem

Actor Tom Selleck has reached a tentative settlement with the California water district which sued him for allegedly stealing 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 by the water district board next week, a spokesman for Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County said, however, they have recommended its approval.

And with everyone in cutback mode, tearing up their lawns, installing conservation methods, we believe our 630,000 customers would agree with that.

Tom Selleck

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% 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