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CSLB Press Release - 10/30/2007

Contractors State License Board Takes Formal Action Taken Against Sacramento Swimming Pool Company for Abandoning Dozens of Projects

Accusation calls for revocation of licenses and restitution for consumers and subcontractors


SACRAMENTO — The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) has filed an accusation against Imperial Pools, dba Aquarius Pools (Imperial/Aquarius Pools). The company has been under investigation by the CSLB after receiving complaints from 60 homeowners for unfinished or faulty pool projects in Sacramento, Yolo, and El Dorado Counties. In the months since August 2006 when Imperial/Aquarius Pools stopped work on all projects, CSLB investigators have poured over boxes of business records, bank records and computers data, interviewing consumers, employees, subcontractors and others involved in the case.

The accusation alleges the following:

  • Imperial/Aquarius Pools failed to pay nine subcontractors a total of $916,965 for work done on various swimming pool projects
  • 22 of the 60 owners who filed complaints with the CSLB allege $299,163 in financial injuries for work not completed by Imperial/Aquarius Pools
  • Imperial/Aquarius Pools filed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on December 27, 2006

The Accusation seeks revocation of the Imperial/Aquarius license (#267176), and against other licenses held by Carnation and Towle, the Corporate Officers of the company, as a consequence of their involvement in this case.

"This accusation follows a complex and extensive investigation," said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands. "The owners of Imperial/Aquarius Pools need to be held responsible for the almost one million dollars they failed to pay subcontractors and for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from consumers and not finishing their pools."

Imperial/Aquarius Pools license is currently classified as "expired" (as of 8-31-06) so they are not authorized to do any construction.

Other licenses named in the accusation:

License # License Name Responsible Managing Officer/Sole Owner
678182 Waterworks Industries Inc. Richard Carnation, Responsible Managing Officer
826855 Waterworks Aquatic Management Inc.,
dba Waterworks Industries		 Kevin Towle, Responsible Managing Officer
813098 Richard Carnation Richard Carnation, Sole Owner
697459 Redhill Construction Kevin Towle, Sole Owner

The Contractors State License Board operates under the umbrella of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. The CSLB licenses and regulates 312,000 contractors, and investigates more than 21,000 complaints annually. In fiscal year 2006-07, the CSLB helped consumers get more than $45 million in ordered restitution.