The Water Hog information was compiled from a list Folio Weekly obtained, for $175, from the JEA under a public records request. The list contained the customer’s name, home address, county, gallons of water sold in the 2011-’12 fiscal year and the annual amount of each customer’s bill. We also looked up the property on the databases of property appraisers’ offices in Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties for information on the size of properties, square footage of each house and its market value, and records of recent sales.
1. Walker Residence
Timuquana Road, Westside
Market value: $97,723
Lot size: 74,923 square feet
Water used: 1,483,950 gallons
Annual water bill: $9,061
Explanation: Walker has been in our top Water Hog listings for six of the seven years we’ve been outing the region’s top water users. Since we started Water Hogs in 2007, Walker has used more than 8 million gallons.
Previous years on list: No. 13 in 2008, No. 36 in 2009, No. 26 in 2010, No. 2 in 2011, No. 12 in 2012
2. Stewart Residence
Marsh Harbor Drive North, Intracoastal West
Market value: $661,121
Lot: 23,956 square feet
Water used: 1,442,122 gallons
Annual water bill: $10,289
Explanation: The Stewarts used 246,000 more gallons this year than last year, climbing 15 places in the rankings.
Previous years on list: No. 17 in 2012
3. Cusack Residence
Saxon Lake Drive, Intracoastal West
Market value: $473,296
Lot: 24,829 square feet
Water used: 1,418,904 gallons
Annual water bill: $9,737
Explanation: A newcomer to the list, Cusack was able to finish a close third.
Previous years on list: None
4. Smyrles Residence
Shipwatch Drive, Queen’s Harbour Yacht & Country Club
Market value: $1,380,512
Lot: 73,181 square feet
Water used: 1,309,905 gallons
Annual water bill: $9,713
Explanation: The Smyrles used 125,095 gallons less last year than the previous year’s total of 1,435,000 gallons, but they moved up one spot on our list. Property records show the four-bedroom, 5,069-square-foot home includes a pool and a spa.
Previous years on list: No. 5 in 2012, No. 16 in 2009
5. McKissick Residence
Margate Hills Road, Deercreek Country Club, Southside
Market value: $1.5 million
Lot: 34,848 square feet
Water used: 1,300,922 gallons
Annual water bill: $8,967
Explanation: McKissick is a bishop and senior pastor at Bethel Baptist Institutional Church. His home, built in 1996, has a total living area of 5,575 square feet and has a pool and a spa. A woman identifying herself as Mrs. McKissick called and asked if she could be removed from the list. “It was our irrigation system. Our grass was ruined, and we had to run it a lot to get our grass back up.”
Previous years on list: None
6. Levy Residence
Courtyards Place West, Deerwood Country Club, Southside
Market value: $1.27 million
Lot: 46,609 square feet
Water used: 1,276,888 gallons
Annual water bill: $9,038
Explanation: This home has six bedrooms, six-and-a-half baths and 8,348 square feet, plus a pool and spa.
Previous years on list: None
7. Walker Residence
Southern Hills Circle West, Hidden Hills, Arlington
Market value: $276,819
Lot: 18,209 square feet
Water used: 1,187,929 gallons
Annual water bill: $8,751
Explanation: The home, with five bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, is about 3,482 square feet. It also has a pool.
Previous years on list: None
8. Merrill Residence
Highview Drive, Hidden Hills, Arlington
Market value: $487,054
Lot: 19,166 square feet
Water used: 1,182,947 gallons
Annual water bill: $9,026
Explanation: The five-bedroom, three-bathroom home has about 4,716 square feet.
Previous years on list: None
9. Mills Residence
Sweetwater Branch Lane, Fruit Cove
Market value: $309,224
Lot: 3,047 square feet
Water used: 1,181,952 gallons
Annual water bill: $7,778
Explanation: The house, with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, has 3,047 square feet.
Previous years on list: No. 7 in 2009
10. Robinson Residence
Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach
Market value: $930,000
Lot: 53,130 square feet
Water used: 1,167,950 gallons
Annual water bill: $6,216
Explanation: The oceanfront home has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, marsh views and a third-story deck.
Previous years on list: No. 29 in 2008, No. 39 in 2009, No. 20 in 2011
11. Kuester Residence
Marsh Lakes Drive, Fernandina Beach
Market value: $1.49 million
Lot: 56,625 square feet
Water used: 1,162,894 gallons
Annual water bill: $6,876
Explanation: Kuester’s water usage keeps climbing. He used 1.097 million gallons in 2008 and 1.215 million gallons in 2012.
Previous years in list: No. 50 in 2008, No. 16 in 2012
12. Lane Residence
Ortega Boulevard, Ortega
Market value: $1,097,000
Lot: 74,923 square feet
Water used: 1,150,409 gallons
Annual water bill: $8,286
Explanation: Helen Lane, widow of E.W. Lane, was distressed about being a Water Hog. “I am sick about it. I am disturbed about it,” said Lane, who said she was on the St. Johns Riverkeeper Board of Directors. She said she was contacting JEA about the large amount. Her 8,369-square-foot home has three bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Previous years on list: None
13. Jason Residence
Hunters Grove Road, Baymeadows
Market value: $869,700
Lot: 34,412 square feet
Water used: 1,150,394 gallons
Annual water bill: $8,271
Explanation: This 7,598-square-foot home has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
Previous years on list: None
14. Lennar Homes LLC
Field Crest Drive South, St. Augustine
Market value: $261,000
Lot: 12,196 square feet
Water used: 1,148,935 gallons
Annual water bill: $7,418
Explanation: New home built in April 2011.
Previous years on list: None
15. D.R. Horton Inc.
Bluff View Circle, Yulee
Market value: $165,000
Lot: 15,370 square feet
Water used: 1,141,926 gallons
Annual water bill: $7,533
Explanation: New home built in October 2010, sold to Jonathan Sprow on May 24, 2012
Previous years on list: None
THE REST OF THE TOP 50
16. Dilorenzo Residence
Glen Kernan Parkway East, Intracoastal West
Water used: 1,131,941 gallons
Previous years on list: None
17. Klempf Residence
Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach
Water used: 1,130,908 gallons
Explanation: Klempf attributed his high water use to having three daughters. The home has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a pool and a spa.
Previous years on list: No. 22 in 2011, when usage was 966,000 gallons of water
18. Matire Residence
Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach
Water used: 1,102,911 gallons
Previous years on list: None
19. Edge Residence
Richmond Street, Avondale
Water used: 1,100,899 gallons
Previous years on list: None
20. Cheiken Residence
Forest Point Court, Beauclerc
Water used: 1,096,942 gallons
Previous years on list: None
21. Stratton Residence
East Seneca Drive, St. Johns
Water Used: 1,078,953 gallons
Previous years on list: None
22. Marinatos Residence
Swilcan Bridge Lane North, Intracoastal West
Water used: 1,068,907 gallons
Previous years on list: None
23. Geddes Residence
Yacht Club Road, Ortega
Water used: 1,065,900 gallons
Previous years on list: None
24. Locher Residence
Wekiva Lane, Baymeadows
Water used: 1,032,890 gallons
Previous years on list: None
25. Holmes Residence
Shipwatch Drive East, Queen’s Harbour
Water used: 1,031,881 gallons
Previous years on list: None
26. Drees Homes of Florida
Trimpe Lane, Westside
Water used: 1,025,949 gallons
Previous years on list: None
27. Allen Residence
Ortega Forest Drive, Ortega
Water used: 1,015,888 gallons
Previous years on list: None
28. Weaver Residence
Hollyridge Road, Baymeadows
Water used: $1,009,883 gallons
Previous years on list: None
29. Campion Residence
Delfino Drive, Island at Queen’s Harbour
Water used: 1,000,906 gallons
Previous years on list: None
30. Skinner Residence
Hollyridge Road, Baymeadows
Water used: 991,983 gallons
Previous years on list: No. 25 in 2012, when he used 1,173,000 gallons of water
31. Ravis Residence
Ortega Forest Drive, Ortega
Water used: 990,890 gallons
Previous years on list: None
32. Vickers Residence
Point La Vista Road West, San Jose
Water used: 988,841 gallons
Previous years on list: No. 19 in 2010; usage was 1,033,000 gallons of water
33. CF Knight Inc.
Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach
Water used: 982,865 gallons
Previous years on list: None
34. Kuehn Residence
Tortuga Point Drive, Queen’s Harbour
Water used: 976,297 gallons
Previous years on list: No. 22 in 2010, when he used 1,003,000 gallons
35. Simmons Residence
James Island Trail, Southside
Water used: 922,887 gallons
Previous years on list: No. 11 in 2012; usage was 1,311,323 gallons
36. Lohse Residence
Wexford Club Drive East, Southside
Water used: 970,134 gallons
Previous years on list: None
37. Rowe Residence
Moss Creek Drive, Intracoastal West
Water used: 956,034 gallons
Previous years on list: None
38. Chartrand Residence
Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach
Water used: 940,917 gallons
Previous years on list: None
39. Bales Residence
Montgomery Place, Riverside
Water used: 938,957 gallons
Previous years on list: None
40. Standard Pacific of Florida
Kirkland Court, Oakleaf Plantation, Orange Park
Water used: 938,949 gallons
Previous years on list: None
41. Groover Residence
Wekiva Way, Baymeadows
Water used: 935,890 gallons
Previous years on list: None
42. Mussallem Residence
Clifton Avenue, Arlington
Water used: 934,955 gallons
Previous years on list: No. 33 in 2011, when he used 892,000 gallons
43. Finchem Residence
Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach
Water used: 931,903 gallons
Previous years on list: No. 8 in 2011, when they used 1,245,000 gallons; a water meter problem was blamed
44. Largura Residence
Ashton Oaks Drive, Mandarin
Water used: 929,936 gallons
Previous years on list: None
45. Randolph Residence
Shipwatch Drive East, Queen’s Harbour
Water used: 924,917 gallons
Previous years on list: None
46. Hale Residence
Yacht Club Road, Ortega
Water used: 908,924 gallons
Previous years on list: None
47. Williamson Residence
Leafy Lane, Arlington
Water used: 906,957 gallons
Previous years on list: None
48. Brown Residence
Brodick Court, Intracoastal West
Water used: 901,953 gallons
Previous years on list: None
49. Coggin Residence
Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach
Water used: 900,936 gallons
Previous years on list: 34 in 2012; usage was 1,060,000 gallons
50. Jackson Residence
Hollyridge Road, Baymeadows
Water used: 900,907 gallons
Previous years on list: No. 33 in 2008, with 1,213,000 gallons; No. 9 in 2009 with 1,394,000 gallons