Spikes in water bills get little sympathy
Ian Chamandy is still angry at the city’s insistence he pay when his water bill jumped to $1,200.
“They (city) said we had a leak,” Chamandy said. “They said the problem is yours and unless you can prove the problem is ours, then pay up or else.”
The bill for Feb. 7 to June 13, 2011, showed daily consumption of 4.3 cubic metres, about eight times normal for the family of three, Chamandy said.
So, he refused to pay, and the city responded by putting the charge on his property tax bil. That’s when he reluctantly paid. “I am so enraged, because when you look at it, it’s self-evident there is a problem. So let’s talk about it and figure it out, and the response from city hall was, ‘No.’”
Chamandy is not alone. An investigation by Toronto’s ombudsman found a number of cases like Chamandy’s, prompting a recommendation that the city change its rules to allow bills to be adjusted.
In an investigative report released Wednesday, omudsman Fiona Crean said her office has received a “steady stream” of complaints about sudden and unexpected water bill increases.
Her report, Water Works, highlighted six cases, including that of an elderly woman living alone whose bill went up five-fold, to $1,292, in March 2011, compared with a normal bill of $180 to $250.
The city wouldn’t adjust the bill, which was for water use between Nov. 17, 2010, and Feb. 25, 2011, because no city error could be found. When the woman complained, the city “asked whether she had filled her pool or used the sprinkler more than usual between November and February.”
“Ms M. does not have a pool and would not have been using it or a sprinkler in the winter anyway,” the report said. A plumber found no water leaks in the home and the meter tested as accurate.
In an interview, Crean said there are about 300 complaints of inexplicably high bills a year, which may be seen as negligible given that 1.5 million bills go out annually.
She agrees the system works well overall, but “It isn’t negligible for the approximately 300 people that have this experience each year,” she said. “In fact, it is a very serious problem for that group of people.”
Crean is recommending a rule change to give officials discretion to adjust bills when there’s a sudden spike not explained by a meter test or leak check.
Crean’s investigation focused on those cases where the city couldn’t explain the spike in the bill and the next bill returned to normal.
Faced with the city’s position that the bill is payable, residents said it seemed the city didn’t believe the customers were being truthful about their water consumption.
“The city’s position that the resident must have used the water recorded by the meter causes some callers to believe their information is being rejected,” Crean said.
She reminded public servants that they should approach every citizen with “a respectful and open mind.”
Customers described their experience as frustrating and overwhelming. One was told most people pay disputed bills once they’re told that the amount, if unpaid, will be added to the home’s property tax bill.
Toronto Water took the position that there are no unexplained spikes in consumption. Officials are confident high bills reflect actual usage, even if inadvertent.
The ombudsman was told that underground lawn sprinklers can leak huge amounts of water, undetected. Even a small leak from a 1/16-inch breach would release almost $700 worth of water over three months.
A leaky toilet is a common source of water loss, accounting for some 95 per cent of water leaks in a home, and the water department’s water meter manager indicated customers often don’t disclose that they’ve repaired or replaced a leaky toilet.
“I appreciate that the operation of the meters largely supports the position that the water must have passed through the meter,” Crean said. “However, the city also acknowledges that there are cases in which it has not been able to identify the cause of a large and sudden increase in water consumption.”
In the case Crean highlighted, she found the elderly woman to be credible, and that her water use has been consistent for years and based on actual readings. A plumber found no leak and her meter was fine. Still, the city expects her to pay.
City manager Joe Pennachetti has agreed to implement the report’s recommendations, Crean said.