What’s causing the high bills with Fort Worth’s new water meters?
Kathy Ferguson was shocked by her December water bill — $408.64.
The bill had slowly climbed since the city installed a new meter last summer. In July the bill was $73, about average for Ferguson’s home near Fort Worth’s Tanglewood neighborhood. But by October the bill had topped $275, she said. Ferguson blames the city’s new digital meters, which are designed to be more accurate.
“I can pay it — I don’t want to pay it — but there’s probably people who live on a fixed income and this is going eat their lunch,” she said. “I could go buy bottled water for cheaper than this.”
Fort Worth’s water department is “100% confident in the meters,” said Kara Shuror, the assistant director. Often weirdly high water bills are the result of an unknown leak. Other times it’s because of over irrigation, pool maintenance or a neighbor tapping into an irrigation line.
The department has inspected new meters at customers’ requests and found no evidence they are faulty, she said
“Meters mechanically cannot over-read,” Shuror said.
But Ferguson is not alone with soaring water bills.
Councilman Jungus Jordan, who represents southwest Fort Worth, said he’s heard from several residents about water bills that have tripled or quadrupled since the new meters were installed. He has asked the city manager’s office to investigate and requested the audit department study rates and usage.
The high bills are a major concern, Jordan said, since the city’s water rate is based off usage. In 2020, the city raised water rates. Projections at the time indicated the average residential user would see a 4.4% increase on their water bill, about $30 a year.
Changes to rates or more accurate meters shouldn’t result in bills that are three or four times as high, Jordan said, adding that the city builds water conservation policies off usage data. He said the number of calls he’s received indicated a broader problem.
“There’s no rhyme or reason,” Jordan said. “It brings into question: are we really conserving and should rates adjust for new meters?”
In September White Lake Hills resident Adrian Murray told KXAS Channel 5 his bill had gone from $65 to more than $330.
Water department staff were expected to brief the City Council on the meters on Jan. 12, but the presentation was rescheduled for Jan. 26.
Shuror said the city anticipated a 3% to 5% increase in water usage based on improved accuracy when the new ones were rolled out in 2016. So far the meters are picking up about a 4.3% increase, on average.
Unlike a traditional meter, the digital meters take a usage reading once an hour and send the data to the water department. Older meters took one reading a month.
So far the city has installed roughly 140,000 meters on a system that has more than 270,000 customers. About 2% of calls related to the new meter are for high bills, Shuror said, and about 5% of total calls are cost complaints. The city receives about 13,000 calls a year.
Shuror said residents should call the department at 817-392-4477 if a water bill seems unusual. For customers who fix a leak, the city may be able to compensate up to 50% of the water bill. The department also launched an income-based relief program in October.
“I understand that it has created some sticker shock with our customers and that’s something we’re trying to work directly with them on,” she said.
This story was originally published January 18, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
