Residents in a Sand Springs water district are shocked to find their June water bills doubled or even tripled.
Hot summer months could mean an increase in water usage.
“I called the City of Sand Springs and I said, “Why is my bill so high,’” Dawn Farris, a Rolling Oaks resident said.
The increase could come from filling up pools, but residents in Rolling Oaks neighborhood said this isn't the case.
"She goes, ‘Maybe do you have a pool?’ And I'm like, no,” Farris said after speaking to a city water employee.
Farris said her water bill went from $106 in May to $238 in June after reportedly using 24,000 gallons of water in a nine-day period.
"Something's not right here,” Farris said.
She admits she did have a running toilet for 2 days, but claims she fixed it and the water was turned off.
"She literally said my water ran from June 20-24 nonstop all day long, all night long, and I’m pretty sure I would have noticed that."
Farris called the City and said she was told someone could be stealing her water.
"She said, ‘Well I think maybe somebody is stealing water out of our front faucet,’ and I was like, ‘What? That's a thing?"
After posting about the alleged crime on social media, Farris said others came forward.
"I filled my pool up in May and my June bill wasn't that high, and I have an 8,000-gallon pool, which I didn't have to fill all the way up,” Kelli Morgan, a Rolling Oaks resident said. “And since then, my bills keep getting higher and higher and higher."
Bill after the bill was sent to 2 Works For You showing an increase.
"They told me that I used 11,000 gallons of water this last month and 10,000 the previous month,” Morgan said.
The city did go out to check Farris' meter and said it was reading accurately.
“We have 13,000 water customers on our water system and I can tell you, 1,299 of them are pretty happy,” Grant Gerondole, Community Development Director for the city of Sand Springs said. “And we do a good job and our system is up to date."
Gerondole said they've even had crews out inspecting meters, but no other residents have complained.
"I can tell you minutes ago we verified [Farris’] meter to be accurate and in good working order,” Gerondole said.
The city also adds that using thousands of gallons is very possible, especially with a leak.
Officials advise if you have an issue with your water bill to contact the city. If you cannot afford it, they are willing to work with residents to make payments easier.
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