The couple was shocked at the water bill — their second after moving in — especially after they quickly realized there was a leak and fixed it.
“We understand there was a leak, but it's unfortunate we did not get the first bill. It was our second bill that was $10,000,” Walker told ABC’s WSB-TV. The leak, which was in the yard's irrigation system, had been fixed quickly by a plumber.
However, it was the sewage charges tied to the leak that turned out to be the most problematic.
How did the bill hit $10,000?
As WSB-TV reports, the City of Atlanta bills homeowners for both water that comes out of the sewer drain and water that goes into the sewer drain. However, Walker insists that the water from the leak didn’t flow into the sewer system — it seeped directly into the ground. She argues that they should not be charged for sewer usage if the water didn’t actually go down the drain.
But the city's billing system calculates sewer charges based on water consumption, regardless of whether that water enters the sewer system. In other words, if you use water, the city assumes that it eventually flows into the sewer system.
"How is that legal? To bill us for something they can't even prove went into the sewer? That's just — that's just wrong." Walker said in an interview. Despite attempts to resolve the issue, the city insists they pay the charges, leaving the couple stuck in an ongoing dispute.
The couple isn’t alone. Last year, Christa DiBiase, in nearby DeKalb County, faced a similar issue, though her bill wasn't quite as extreme. After watering sod in her front yard daily for a couple months, she told WSB-TV about receiving a bill for more than $2,000, despite the water never actually entering the drain.
As the situation drags on, Walker says she and her husband have spent countless hours trying to resolve the issue with the City of Atlanta with no success. "They told us you owe it, pay it," she told WSB-TV’s Ashli Lincoln.
How to prevent surprisingly high water bills
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American family spends more than $1,000 on water usage each year. This means Walker’s bill is 10 times the average annual cost — for just two month's usage.
