San Antonio resident questions high SAWS bill at empty house

Patty Santos, Reporter

Joe Arredondo, Photojournalist

SAN ANTONIO – Antonio Cruz has been trying to figure out why his Dellview home, which has been empty all summer, had a water bill over nearly $400.

“Unless the fire department is coming to fill their tank on my faucet, there’s no explanation for this high volume of water being used in my house,” he said. “Who’s taking my water?”

Calls to SAWS customer services have resulted in the same explanation over and over. They say there’s a leak, but he’s not buying it.

A plumber recently checked his home and cleared it of leaks. He printed out the hourly readings of the water usage, and he says it’s showing inconsistent numbers going from zero gallons to dozens to hundreds.

“I’m 100% sure they’re sending wrong readings to our bills,” Cruz said.

He’s not alone; comparing notes with his neighbors, he says customers who got the new electric meters in July seem to be the ones having the issues with the higher-than-normal bills.

He says he wants an answer to the bill that makes sense, but every time he calls SAWS customer service, he hears the same blame.

“Instead of giving you a solution, they test your commonsense and make you believe you are the issue instead of them,” Cruz said.

A statement from SAWS supports the accuracy of the electric meters.

“The new ConnectH2O electronic meters are proven to be more accurate than previous mechanical meters across the system, showing flows down to the gallon in hourly amounts. Customers with ‘sick’ meters, which are under-registering or not showing flow at all, will see a more accurate representation of their water use.

Regarding the account at [** *****], SAWS installed a new ConnectH2O electronic meter on July 21 to replace the original sick meter, which had not been registering the correct water flow. During the following months, the ConnectH2O meter registered flows up to 73 gallons per hour (GPH). SAWS provided detailed water flow information to the customer. Readings like this in the home indicate a leak, possibly somewhere in the service line or an intermittent leak from the toilet.

An automated phone notification was sent to Mr. Cruz several times during this period of unusual flows at the meter.

The new ConnectH2O meters give a much more exact indication of when and how much water is used. Identifying leaks within remains a homeowner’s responsibility. Customers can visit here for tips on where to find leaks in the home.”

Cruz says his family got a robocall about high water usage, but it did not have the address. He thought it was for the home where he currently lives and has a pool.

A follow-up email to SAWS asking about the inconsistent hourly reading and what customers can do to have the meter replaced or tested has yet to be returned.

Cruz says he’s not done looking for clear answers and will take his concerns to elected city officials.

Find more local news on KSAT.com here

SAN ANTONIO