NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Some West Nashville residents were surprised with high water bills they can't explain.
In Charlotte Park, multiple people reported their water costs had doubled or even tripled in their most recent bill. Some believe it could be a problem with the water system.
However, a spokesperson for Metro Water said it's caused by a rate increase effective since January.
The rate increase was supposed to only increase water bills by about $9, but a number of other factors may have come into play.
Some residents, such as Carlyn Perez, don't see how the amount of water being used has increased for his home.
"The last month that was $147, that was 10472 gallons. And then this month was 26,928 gallons," said Perez. "I don't see how you could possibly use that much water."
Perez's bill spiked to $284 in his most recent bill. At first, he thought maybe he had accidentally left a hose on somewhere, but can't figure out why his bill showed such a high increase.
"There has to be some kind of reason why everyone is getting charged so much. I definitely don't want to point the finger. If it was just me, I would imagine I had some kind of leak or something, but with so many people having the same issue. It seems very strange," said Perez.
After checking the NextDoor app for his neighborhood, Perez saw many others were having a similar issue. Some residents claimed their bills reached $300 or more. One person said their bill, which is normally about $22, increased to $135.
"It just seems like there's something going on there rather than people just using too much water. Of course, in the summer you're going to use more water. But, 26,000 gallons. That's a lot of water. I don't see how that's possible. Maybe there's a leak to the neighborhood that people are being charged for," said Perez.
The Nashville man said when he contacted Metro Water about the issue, they told him it's possibly something with the water line and someone would check it out.
Perez said while he can pay the bill, he's worried others on a fix income or who are unemployed couldn't handle it.
The spokesperson for Metro Water said it's possible the increased usage and a tiered payment system are to blame for any increase. Also, Summer is the biggest time for water usage in the city.
Also, there's an automatic sprinkler system adjustment for water that doesn't make it into the sewer system. That could be a cause for an increase in a water bill.
Metro Water has a website to explain why a bill may have been increased.
