ATLANTA — More homeowners are reaching out to Channel 2 Action News after being billed thousands of dollars for water they say they did not use.
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It’s a stern message Kelly Walker says the City of Atlanta told her after disputing a $10,000 water bill.
“They told us you owe it, pay it,” Walker told Channel 2′s Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln.
That’s how much water Kelly Walker says she and her husband didn’t realize they inherited after moving into their new Sandy Springs home in 2024.
“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,” said Walker.
She admits they discovered a leak in the piping in the yard’s irrigation system. They hired a plumber to repair the leak. However, Walker told Lincoln because of this, she doesn’t think she should be on the hook for the thousands she’s being charged in sewage charges. Walker says the water from the leak seeped into the ground and not the sewer.
“We’re trying, we spent hours and hours, and hours of our time trying to resolve this,” Walker said.
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In November, Lincoln reported on similar frustrations from DeKalb County homeowner Christa DiBiase. She told Channel 2 Action News she owed more than $2,000 in sewage charges, after watering a patch of sod in her front yard.
“It was running every day for a couple of months,” DiBiase said.
DeKalb County says it bills homeowners for the water that comes out of the drains and for what goes down the drain. It’s categorized as “sewer service based on water usage” on a homeowner’s bill.
“Usually the bill is maybe $50 total,” DiBiase said.
DeKalb County says even though the water didn’t go down DiBiase’s drain, its system still calculates the usage based on the water consumption.
The county says homeowners with sprinkler systems should consider getting a separate irrigation meter that reads the usage more accurately and will save homeowners thousands.
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Residents can request a special irrigation meter from the Department of Watershed Management to water lawns and gardens. A $600 deposit is required and is returned when the meter is no longer needed.
If an irrigation meter is installed in accordance with DeKalb County requirements, the customer will be charged the irrigation rate for all water flowing through the irrigation meter.
The City of Atlanta told Lincoln it’s looking into Walker’s account.
Atlanta homeowners can request an irrigation meter through Fulton County. For more information, click here.
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