Ferndale 'Catch-Up' Water Bills Surprise Residents After New Readers Installed

Some Ferndale residents say they're seeing higher than usual water bills lately after the city installed new readers on most water meters around town.

But while bills may have gone up in some cases, city officials say water meters are working properly and an unusually high bill could mean a leak or that your bill was previously underestimated.

The city has almost completed installation of new readers on all water meters—with more than 98 percent of households now having a new reader, said Ferndale Department of Public Works director Loyd Cureton.

In August last year, Ferndale City Council unanimously approved a contract with Elster Water to replace the automatic water meter reading system with a stronger system as it was discovered that not all of the meters were being read automatically.

Cureton said some residents were getting estimated bills during the time the readers weren't working correctly. Those residents are getting "catch-up" bills now.

A post on Ferndale Patch's Facebook page Tuesday night had more than 90 comments, with many residents reporting unexpectedly high bills.

"We just got our water bill & it is 4 times higher than normal!" wrote Patch reader Jacquelyn.

"Our bills have doubled since the change," wrote Jeff.

Cureton said it's not yet known what percentage of households were being underestimated and are now getting the catch-up bills, but he expects to have this information soon.

"When we were not able to get a read, the system automatically would give an estimate based on that account's previous usage. If for some reason the estimate was low—and there's not that many but there are some—then they'd have a catch-up bill," Cureton said. "It'd be a one-time occurrence."

But a water leak in the home—which can often go unnoticed—is another reason a bill could be higher than usual. To check for a leak, look at your meter when no one is using any water in the house. The needle on the meter should not be moving at all, Cureton said.

To help residents in either situation, city officials are currently working on repayment plan options, Cureton said. Ferndale City Council has also expressed a desire to lower fees and penalties for late payments, he said.

"We want them to be caught up. It's good for all of our users," he said, adding that the city has also been very lenient about shut-offs.

On March 25, council members voted to approve a water bill penalty abatement program that suspends the $50 penalty to all new billing accounts effective April 1.

Customers who bring their accounts current by Sept. 30 by making monthly payments are also eligible to have the $50 delinquent fee waived.

Going forward, residents should feel confident their bills are accurate, he said.

"We feel really good about this technology. It's working as it's designed and intended to. The first system did not," Cureton said. "[The new readers] are very accurate almost down to the drop."

Anyone with questions about their bill can call the Department of Public Works at 248-546-2514.