The city of Atlanta will audit each of its 127,000 water meters over the next eight to 12 months after receiving more than 30,000 consumer complaints about inconsistent billing.
The audit, which will cost $7 million, comes on the heels of a $23 million upgrade for all of the city’s water meters.
“This is not a re-do; this is a follow-up,” Watershed Commissioner Dexter White said. “We want to give customers the assurance that everything is working right. And we will use this as a chance to implement a maintenance program.”
Nine thousand meters were sampled as part of an internal audit, and, when properly maintained, 96 percent were accurate, White said. The Department of Watershed Management has examined the billing process with a 71-page report.
“We want to regain the trust of our citizens,” White said. “The numbers sound great, but we want to do better.”
White said independent contractors will check every water meter in the city, making sure each is working properly or repairing those that aren't. Contractors will also replace the tops of about 35,000 meters that are mismatched, making them difficult to read through radio transmission.
Even with the surveys and report, dozens of customers still complain daily about problems with their bills.
Paul Young, who lives in Buckhead, said his bill has been caught up in bureaucracy. His water bill was $55 last July. It rose to more than $500 for each of the next three months. In November, it was down to $367. It fell to $16 in December. It was not confirmed until February that he had a faulty meter.
“My issue is the way it was handled; you couldn’t help but be suspicious,” Young said. “It is a proven case of a faulty meter, paired with clear signs of reluctance to acknowledge that.”
White said several factors contributed to spikes in bills, including leaks on property and increased water consumption. He did not acknowledge there have been issues within the department, in the way of spotty checks, misreads of meters, or, in Young’s case, faulty meters.
However, at least 25 percent of the meters surveyed had a misplaced antenna, located at the bottom of the meter rather than the top, and the data couldn't easily be transmitted.
“All of the work we have done so far has been at the inconvenience of our customers,” White said. “We are going to get this right this time.”
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