Posts

New Round Of Complaints On High Water Bills

A group of Allied Gardens residents say they are receiving outrageously high water bills from the city of San Diego. It’s the latest flare up in an issue that has already caused major changes at City Hall. A 2018 audit found that nearly 3,000 families were sent incorrect bills, largely due to human error reading the meters. The city says it is working to create more meter-reader oversight and improve the customer service experience. Jim Montana got a nearly $600 water bill in December, which was triple the norm.

City of San Diego Could Install 250,000 Smart Water Meters

Every home in the city of San Diego could soon have a smart water meter, eliminating the human error that led to thousands of erroneous water bills reaching homes. On Monday, the San Diego City Council authorized up to $25 million to buy more than 250,000 smart water meters from company Itron Inc. The move comes after an audit earlier this year found nearly 3,000 erroneous water bills reached households, some spiking to upwards of $1,000. The audit largely blamed human error from water-meter readers, who are charged with reading hundreds per day.

City Launches App To Help Customers Monitor Water Bills

Painful, inaccurate water bills have eroded trust in the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department. However, the city says it is committed to earning that trust back, vowing to fix major problems. They’ve launched a tool customers can use immediately to take control of their water usage and bills.

High Water Bills: San Diego City Council Committee Reviews Performance Audit

The recent audit on the city’s sky-high water bills was under review Monday. The San Diego City Council’s audit committee held a special meeting to look into it after more than 2,700 incorrect water bills were sent out last year. In that special meeting Monday morning, the committee reviewed performance audits on the Public Utilities Department’s water billing operations. This all comes months after hundreds of San Diego residents were over charged for water usage.

San Diego’s Audit Of Water Bills Delayed

The city of San Diego audit that is meant to answer why some customers were overcharged hundreds of dollars on their water bills has been delayed. City Auditor Eduardo Luna announced in his May report that the audit, which was originally supposed to be published at the beginning of June, will instead come in July. The audit has already taken more than the 2,000 budgeted hours of work, according to the report.

City Councilmember Suggesting Changes To Water Department After High Water Bill Concerns

A San Diego City Councilmember is looking to build a bridge of trust over the troubled water meter controversy. This after hundreds of customers came forward, claiming they were overcharged, some by hundreds of dollars for water they never used. In addition to complaints, NBC 7 Responds obtained public records showing property owners who filed claims for damages from the city, stating they were overcharged for water services.