Wesley Chapel residents concerned with high water bills

If you're noticing higher than normal water bills in Pasco County, you're not alone. Several people in the Wesley Chapel area say their bills the last couple months have been double or triple what they're used to paying.

 

You wouldn't think drinking water, watering your plants, or bathing could add up to a nearly $400 water bill. But that's exactly what Lauren Meade of Wesley Chapel is dealing with.

 

"The water usage had spiked to 38,000 gallons really with no explanation. Even if we were showering 10 times a day, there's no reason we should be using 38,000 gallons," Meade said.

 

At first she panicked, thinking there was a leak in her new home. When that turned out not to be the case, she called Pasco County Utilities.

 

"It pretty much just said the peak times were around 2 a.m. It almost looked like we were watering our yard in the middle of the night like five times a week, which absolutely wouldn't happen," Meade said.

 

And after doing some digging online, she saw other people in Wesley Chapel were seeing very high water bills, too. Her backdoor neighbor's bill was a whopping $500 last month.

 

"There's definitely no doubt in my mind that there's just something that's happening behind the scenes that we don't know about," said Meade.

 

The good news is that Meade did get a credit on one of her recent bills and Pasco County says it looks like her July bill should be "normal."

 

Because of customer complaints last year of water bills topping $3,000, a new process is in place that allows customers to get a detailed profile of their account. There's also a website where you can submit concerns.

 

Public works says it's also happy to host community meetings if a neighborhood thinks there's a wider problem.

 

"Hopefully they'll figure out what's happening and see that this is a major issue," said Meade.

 

Any Pasco County Utility customers with concerns about their water bill can contact Utilities Customer Service at:

Here is a link to our website with customer service forms: http://www.pascocountyfl.net/index.aspx?NID=198

 

And here is the link to the Unexplained High Water Use Adjustment Request Form: http://www.pascocountyfl.net/DocumentCenter/View/22412