WATER WORKS
‘It doesn’t make sense,’ new homeowner cries over staggering $9,700 water bill – company claims he used 355,000 gallons
An extra fee was tacked on due to water usage during a drought
A NEW homeowner has been left shocked after he was slapped with a water bill costing nearly $10,000.
Seth Priestner thought there'd been a mistake when he first opened the August water bill for his new home in San Antonio, Texas.
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After his family moved into the new house in April, they were charged a typical monthly water bill of around $115 a month.
But just five months later, the bill was $9,707, stating the family used 355,000 gallons of water that month.
"At first we thought they sent us the wrong bill. Like maybe they sent us a commercial bill," Priestner told CBS affiliate KENS.
"But upon calling SAWS they said 'No, that is your bill.'"
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The San Antonio Water System suggested that Priestner might have had a leak in his house, causing the homeowner to hire a plumber.
However, the plumber couldn't find a leak in the home.
To make matters even more confusing, the family had a leak repaired in June.
After the plumber's visit, Priestner asked SAWS to reduce the bill amount since there wasn't any explanation for the extreme charge.
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SAWS reduced the bill - but only to around $6,500.
The charged amount still included a Stage 3 Drought Surcharge fee that cost nearly $3,500.
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The surcharge is applied to SAWS customers who use excessive water during drought conditions in the area.
San Antonio experienced a drought this summer, only getting .38 inches of rain in August.
The Stage 3 charge costs $10.37 per thousand gallons for customers who use over 20,000 gallons per month, according to SAWS' website.
"That is strictly there to discourage people from using excessive water," Priestner said about the charge.
Timeline of events
- April 2024: Seth Priestner and his family move into a new San Antonio home
- April 2024 - July 2024: Water bills cost around $115
- June 2024 - Leak fixed in Priestner's home
- August 2024 - San Antonio Water System bill costs $9,709.93, Priestner finds no more leaks and asks for a deduction, then contacts KENS when he still owes money. KENS gets SAWS to take away the drought fine that Priestner was charged
- September 2024 - SAWS monitors Priestner's water use with the utility's ConnectH2O meter
"I don't think that's the case here. It doesn't make sense to fine someone."
Priestner then reached out to KENS, who reported that 355,000 gallons of water is about half the amount needed to fill an Olympic swimming pool.
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After reaching out to SAWS, the outlet found the utility service didn't physically check the family's water meter in June or July.
SAWS spokesperson Anne Hayden told KENS the company "estimated" the family's usage in the summer months - meaning it was unclear when the 355,000 gallons of water went through the meter.
"Because there were two estimated reads we couldn't be sure when that water use was happening in those two months, so we did give him a partial credit," Hayden told KENS.
NEW METER
However, Priestner and the outlet still pushed to understand why the surcharge was applied - eventually leading the utility to drop the fine.
"We decided, just to be careful, to give him credit back on the surcharge," Hayden said.
The company then swapped out Priestner's analog water meter with SAWS' new ConnectH2O meter, which can be monitored electronically by the utility and the homeowner via an app.
With the new meter, SAWS was even able to alert Priestner's family with a "continuous leak alert" after they left a hose running in September.
"This is going to be a wonderful thing to use and we are looking forward to all our customers having access to it," Hayden said.
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Priestner told KENS he was just appreciative that the utility dropped the fine.
The U.S. Sun reached out to SAWS for comment.