COLUMBIA, S.C. — Many Columbia residents have complained of higher than normal water bills.
Some say their monthly bill is two to three times higher than usual after the city installed their new water meter. However, Columbia Water told News19 the new meters shouldn't greatly affect customer charges.
"My bill was $43.68 and then it jumps to $132.70, and that was about three weeks after the new meter,” Sandie York said while siifting through her water bills.
The Blythewood resident is flooded with frustration after getting her latest water bill. She told News19 her water bill nearly tripled after the City of Columbia installed her new digital meter last month.
"It just doesn’t make sense to me," York said.
She added that she and her husband are very conservative with their water. After opening her bill she posted on the Nextdoor app to see if her neighbors had the same issue.
"It blew up," York said about her post. "It just blew up and I didn’t realize there’d be so much chat about it. So, obviously people are upset.”
However, Robert Yanity with Columbia Water said the new meters shouldn’t cause a significant jump in charges.
"If your bill has doubled, there is probably a reason outside just your meter being new," Yanity said in a sit-down interview.
He said The City of Columbia is replacing every resident’s analog water meter with new digital ones.
"We’re installing 150,000 meters and usually it goes off without a hitch but again, it’s a big project so there is always a potential that there could be an issue with the installation. There could be a potential leak somewhere along the line when we install it," explained Yanity.
He said they've installed about 118,000 meters so far.
The new meters can detect where water is flowing from, which Yanity said helps them determine the issue. Residents with new meters can also use the Eye on Water app, which shows detailed information about water usage in a home.
"We do want to encourage folks if they think there’s an issue with their bill, to please contact us through our Customer Care."
If a resident is seeing a spike in their water charges like Sandie York, Columbia Water suggests contacting them and they’ll investigate the issue.
To learn more about Columbia's digital water meter project, click here.
To create an account on the app, Eye on Water, which allows digital meter owners to check their water usage, click here.