Chickamauga Man Disputing High Water Bill
The water meter on Al Creamer’s property in Chickamauga.
CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. (WDEF)- With recent inflation, many of our recurring bills have gone up.
However, one Chickamauga man says the rise in one of his bills is highly unusual.
Al Creamer says he is a retiree who lives on a fixed income at his Chickamauga home.
Last month, his water bill was only two dollars and 13 cents after some adjustments.
However, when he received his water bill this month, it was far higher.
Creamer said, “This month my bill went to 180 dollars. They started in with, “Oh your meter started flowing at this outrageous rate for 24 hours,” And it didn’t happen because there’s no water damage in my house.”
Creamer says he is not satisfied with the explanations given to him by the Walker County Water and Sewage Authority on why his water bill spiked after a test of his water meter.
He said, “They told me if I wanted the meter, if it came back okay that I would have to pay back the 200 dollars for the test, not if it failed, when it came back ok, it just sounds like it’s coming out of D.C.”
According to the Water and Sewage’s data, during a 24 hour period a few weeks ago, they say their meter registered hundreds of gallons an hour of water being used on Creamer’s property.
They say from their vantage point, this is a sign of a leak that Creamer contests is happening.
The general manager, Brandon Whitley, said, “You may not know until we call you that you are actually having a leak because your usage would increase beyond normal.”
Whitley says that an increase of this nature normally comes from a running or leaking toilet and open water hoses among other potential causes.
He says many people expect to be able to see or hear a toilet issue, but that’s not always the case.
Whitley said, “If it’s a leaking toilet, you’re not going to have a water leak inside he house, you’re not typically going to be flooded, because it may not be going down a sewer or a drain, or the sanitary sewer system.”
An unexpected large water bill is the last thing anyone wants to see, but there are ways to lower your chance of seeing one.
Whitley said, “Water saving appliances help tremendously with reducing your water bill and just being aware of potential issues that could pop up.”
Creamer has his doubts on if the situation will be fixed.
He said, “They charge you for every drop that is going in and going out and they won’t make accommodations for it or anything they just say, “Oh that’s how it is, and that is how it is going to be”, it’s out of control government.”
Creamer did also say he’s heard from others in the community who have had their own water bill issues.
The Water and Sewage Authority says they cannot fix issues on someone’s property beyond their meters from the main system, but customers can enroll into a program that would help them diagnose issues.
The dispute at this time remains unresolved.
