Stewart Hicks owns several properties in Lubbock. He says some of his tenants saw inexplicable spikes in their water bills through Lubbock Power & Light.
“First occasion, I had two girls living in a house [last year],” Hicks said. “City said they used 150,000 gallons of water in 6 weeks.”
Hicks said a plumber checked for leaks and found none. Then the city “checked their own meter to see if it was working properly and of course they said ‘yes it was working just fine.'”
He said his tenants were stuck with a bill totaling about $1,000.
“I can’t say the city is doing something wrong because I don’t know for sure, but it just appears to me that something’s wrong here, if they won’t accept responsibility any time it’s over-billed like that,” Hicks explained.
“Seems to me like it’s more deliberate than accident,” Hicks added. “I just hope somebody at LP&L is listening…”
Turns out, someone is paying attention.
LP&L spokesperson Matt Rose said meter-readers manually check the 84,000 water meters each month, in addition to 103,000 electricity meters. LP&L provides billing services for water and other utilities in addition to electricity.
“That’s a large number of meters to read,” Rose said. “When you have a system like that you’re going to be susceptible to human error.”
The city has not transitioned to smart-meters, forcing readers to check each meter individually.
Rose explained the system for involving the water department if a resident believes the water bill does not reflect accurate water usage. He said the meters are re-read, then checked for leaks, and the water department is involved to assure a resolution. Rose said in some cases, the meter is replaced.
“What we want our customers to be aware of it so watch that usage, and if it seems like it’s out of kilter, let us know,” stated Rose. “We’re always sympathetic when someone gets a high bill. We’re customers of LP&L too. When i get a high meter read and i get a high bill, I’m not happy about it either.”
Hicks said another of his tenants reportedly used “84,000 gallons of water in 30 days, which is about 2,800 gallons a day.”
“There’s no way they can use that much water,” Hicks stated. “You’d have to have all your faucets on full blast for a whole month.”
“If they really use that much water it would be out from under the house, into the street, down the curb and into the sewer,” said Hicks.
“It’s a problem for more people than just my tenants,” he added.
Rose said customers who dispute their bill will need to take their concerns to the City’s Water Board of Appeals. Other questions can be answered by calling LP&L directly at (806) 775-2500.
