My $758.93 Water Bill — This Photographer's Life

Merry Christmas one and all. Speaking of Christmas, I got a nice little present in the mail last night. A $758.93 water bill. Thank you so much City of Atlanta (Department of Watershed Management)! How did you know this was just what I wanted? NOT.

This is where I live. I love it here. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths.

It's the perfect home for me and Sister.... which is great since we are the only people who live there.

Yes, one person and a 2 pound dog racked up an almost $800 water bill. How?

Well, around September 15th, I got a bill for @500. I called to dispute the charges. I had had a leaky toilet in July, but had quickly gotten a plumber out to the house to fix the problem and replace all the valves on all the toilets just to be safe. The lady I spoke with said that I could appeal my bill. I paid them $100 somewhere around October 1st. They sent a man out to look at my meter and determined that there was nothing wrong with the meter, so it must be my problem. On October 14th... I remember because it was my birthday, I got a letter in the mail saying if I did not pay the entire charge by October 15th they would shut off my water and then charge me the entire bill plus a reconnect fee to turn the water back on. Thank God they accept credit cards.

Around November 15th I got a water bill for $463.02. I called the water company again. I asked if I could appeal this bill. They said no because my last appeal still had not been finalized, and you couldn't have two appeals at once. She suggested that I wait until my December bill and see if there was a noticeable difference in my meter reading. I did not pay any money on that bill, and she assured me they would not turn off my water. She also assured me there was a leak in my house. To be on the safe side I got another plumber to come out to the house and look, and he also said there were no leaks.

Yesterday I got this in the mail. After I stopped crying (true) I checked all the toilets again. There were no leaks.

Here is the chart showing my water usage. You can see that I had a toilet leak in July, which I got fixed.

My neighbor has a family of 4 and has an average water bill of $120 a month.

This may be more information than you wanted to know, but I added up my water usage, and this is what I got.

Showers: 8-9 a week, 36 a month

Toilet Flushes (sorry to share this information): @3 a day, 21 a week, 84 a month

Washing Machine Runs: On the high side we will say 4 a week, 16 a month

Dishwasher: 2 a week, 8 a month.

I can't think of any other time I use water unless I an drinking it or rinsing my dishes. Sister gets 1 tiny bowl of water a day, and I am thinking of asking her to cut back. JK

I had another plumber come to my house today.

He took this picture of the meter. He watched it for @20 minutes and there was no change (meaning no leaks). Then he had his assistant flush a toilet and the meter rose slightly. This means there are no leaks in the house.

We wrote the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management a letter today explaining the situation. We also called. They have agreed to let me play $120 a month until my hearing, which could be in a month or two. Any advice you guys have would be very very helpful. Have you had to deal with anything like this? I have no idea what the hearing will entail, but I am gathering as much evidence as possible. $800 is insane.

If I don't get this resolved, then I will soon be selling a very small dog who drinks too much water.

KIDDING! I would NEVER sell Sister, but could I interest you in a 3 year old flatscreen/anything else worth $800? Going once....