ELGIN, S.C. — A couple in Elgin was stunned when they received a water bill of $11,223.22 for the month of December. Equally frustrating has been their inability to resolve the issue with Columbia Water.
"We were totally surprised to find that we owed $11,000," said Elgin resident Jim Haggard. "We contacted the City of Columbia, and they’re basically dodging any responsibility whatsoever, saying that we have a leak."
Haggard said his family moved into a newly-built home on Dec. 3. The first water bill they received was $223. The next bill was 50 times higher.
When they tried to call Columbia Water, they say they got inconsistent responses.
"One representative said that we've been having a leak since November," Haggard said. "Another representative said we’ve been having a leak since October, which, either time, we would not have been responsible for either bills."
"My wife was told that we had to hire a plumber to determine where the leak was," Haggard said. "If there was no leak, then they would take action."
Haggard said he contacted the home developer and a plumber to do an inspection of his property.
According to Haggard, both said they found nothing they believe would cause the couple's water bill to increase.
In a statement, Columbia Water said:
"Everything past the meter on the customer's side is the responsibility of the customer. If there is a leak on their side, and the meter is operating correctly, they are responsible for the fix and water use.”
Columbia Water said it is conducting an investigation into the $11K bill and has put a hold on the Haggard's water bill until the investigation is complete.
This comes one day after the City of Columbia publicly announced it is aware of internal problems, like staffing shortages and their backlog of 4,000+ work orders.
"It’s highly frustrating," Haggard said. "It needs to be resolved, and it needs to be resolved quickly."