Are you paying too much for water?

09:39 AM CST on Wednesday, March 23, 2005

By Jeff McShan / 11 News

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The hot summer months are just around the corner, there has been a disturbing discovery about the water bills for people in the city of Houston. Armed with only a screwdriver, Robert Miller heads toward the street to read his water meter.

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If you check your water bills over the last year or so, you may be in for a surprise.

Since August of 2003, Miller says his water bill has not been accurate, so he took matters into his own hands.

"It's a lot worse than what I expected," says Miller.

Miller went to the Water Customer Service Center just south of downtown for an administrative hearing. An arbitrator ruled in his favor, saying the Water Department owed him more than $600, but that's just the beginning of the story.

You see, Miller asked a lot of questions and found that what the city is doing might be a surprise to Houston water customers.

"Well, I didn't really learn the whole problem until I got to arbitration, until they gave me all the facts and figures. I almost fell out of my chair," Miller says.

If you look closely at your Houston residential water rate, you'll notice the more you use, the more you pay -- based on a 1,000 gallon scale.

"The 3,000 [gallon] rate is at $12.50 and the 4,000 [gallon] rate is at $27," says Miller.

There is nothing in between -- so he thought. Miller learned that the city actually keeps track of all your water usage.

For example, if your bill says 3,000 gallons, but you actually used 3,800, then 800 gallons is rolled over to next month. This is not explained on the bill.

In April, lets say you use 3,600 gallons, but with the rollover, it adds up to 4,400 gallons, and the cost goes up to $27.50.

Then the remaining 400 gallons roll over to the next month.

"When they roll the gallons from one month to the next month, I am paying the next month at a higher rate," Miller says.

It's a continuous cycle.

Miller says the arbitrator that he met with last week suggested he take his findings to City Hall.

"Well I hope to make a difference," says Miller.

He'll be there March 29th, when he'll ask why consumers weren't told about this method of billing.

Public Works spokesperson Wes Johnson confirmed the rollover billing process. Pat Trahan, with the mayor's office, says the Public Works Department will be looking into the billing process, and there's a chance there will be some changes.

Changes or not, the billing process should be better explained.