Eye-popping water bills showing up in Massachusetts mailboxes - WCVB Boston

Eye-popping water bills showing up in Massachusetts mailboxes

Some residents of Newton, Massachusetts, say they've started to receive eye-popping water bills, the result of years of underestimated water bills due to some meters not transmitting normally.

People have been showing up here at Newton City Hall to ask about these big water bills.

When Marc Heimlich recreantly opened his water and sewer bill, at first, he couldn't believe it.

It was for more than $15,000 — several times what he normally pays every three months.

Heimlich says Newton city officials told him it's because since 2019, his old water meter, like many in Newton, wasn't transmitting its readings correctly.

The city has been estimating Heimlich's family's usage, or more precisely, underestimating it, apparently by a lot.

The city has begun installing new water meters, getting accurate readings and sending residents either refunds or, as in the case of Heimlich, catch-up bills.

"Had I known this three years ago, I obviously would've curbed my water usage," Heimlich said. " Maybe I would've taken a shorter shower or gotten a separate water meter for our irrigation."

According to the city's website, the water and sewer bills people are receiving are accurate.

"Every resident who received a bill based on estimated usage was sent a letter from the City every billing cycle informing them of the malfunctioning (meter transmission units) and asking them to read their water meter and submit the reading to our water billing department so that they could adjust their bill to reflect actual usage," a written statement from Newton mayor Ruthanne Fuller said.

Fuller said that while some residents have been paying bills based on estimated usage, the city of Newton has had to pay the MWRA for the city’s overall actual water usage.

The city says people who receive catchup bills can request a payment plan, including spreading out their payments over 12 months with no interest.

As of Tuesday, approximately 150 bill-payers have signed an online petition asking the city to give them a break.

Newton City officials said no one was available to speak with WCVB's David Bienick on Tuesday about the water bills.