Houston-area Aqua Texas customer receives $5k water bill for June
Aqua Texas customer hit with $5,000 water bill
An Aqua Texas customer says she was hit with a $5,000 water bill. FOX 26's Randy Wallace explains.
HOUSTON - A Texas couple is challenging a water bill showing they used 209,000 gallons in June, arguing the amount is impossible and alleging a leak in Aqua Texas infrastructure behind their home may be responsible.
What they're saying:
Aqua Texas claims Melinda Speryl and her husband used 209,000 gallons of water during the month of June.
If correct, that means the couple used enough water for an average American to live on for seven years. According to the bill, the couple used all that water during two separate days.
"There was a water break, but Aqua Texas is telling me it was something in our yard that broke, mysteriously fixed itself, and broke again," said Melinda.
After talking with neighbors and her HOA, Melinda believes the culprit is a septic leak in a pipe belonging to Aqua Texas that busted behind her home. It doesn't seem possible the couple could consume 209,000 gallons of water in a month. That's enough water to fill a standard municipal water tower in a small town or fill the interior of 22 large school buses parked side by side.
If that much water leaked, Melinda says the house would have flooded.
She says she's a licensed irrigator and would have spotted a leak outside.
The other side:
In a statement on Monday, Aqua Texas tells FOX 26, "Aqua Texas is aware of the customer’s concerns regarding their water bill and has been in communication with the customer. In early June, our team responded to a high water consumption alert at the property and confirmed that the meter was operating properly and accurately recorded the water that passed through it. We remain committed to working with our customers to investigate concerns and provide information about their water use and billing."
The Source: Melinda Speryl, statement from Aqua Texas