Editorial:

Escott Norton, the man who Glendale Water & Power officials allege used 1.5 million gallons of water in two months, was the latest example of how bureaucracy, no matter how imposing, can be cracked.

His $5,474 water bill was rescinded this week after he made his case Tuesday to the City Council, arguing there was no way he could have used the equivalent, in one billing cycle, of what Glendale High School consumes for its entire campus per month.

Utility officials were steadfast in their support of his meter, contending multiple tests proved the reading was correct.

But no one seemed to be able to explain just where that water went. Hydrologists said there was no logical explanation, barring the home falling into a sinkhole or massive pools of mud flowing down from Norton’s hillside home.

It was the classic case of common-sense logic — a clear error — against government self-obsessed truisms — that the people are petulant and always looking to cut corners.

Evidently, the standoff got to the point where Norton felt he had no other recourse but to take his case to the media, recalling a certain couple who in 2007 were mailed a $347,000 citation for illegally trimming their protected trees.

In that fiasco, no one at City Hall seemed to be able to offer an explanation as to how such a massive fine had left the building — sending a young family into panic — without first being run up the ladder for some sort of executive review.

We understand there was a dispute between Norton and the utility regarding an illegal electricity tap during the home’s construction, and that that may have played into the proverbial digging in of heels.

Even if that were the case, clearly this was the wrong battle.

As it was, the story was picked up by the Associated Press and on a clear track to regional ridicule in the media, just like the tree fine issue.

If it weren’t for the top-down pressure from the City Council, we’d all be listening to this during our morning commutes.

Sometimes, in the absence of an airtight scientific explanation, it’s best to fall back on logic instead of trying to hammer 2 pounds of material into a 2-ounce hole.