discovered the city of Houston
overcharging homeowners for
more than 10 times the water
they use because city employees
were incorrectly reading their
water meters. Investigator Amy Davis stepped in when the
Davis stepped in when the
customers were feeling drained,
trying to make the Houston
Water Department. Listen to
the reason for me what
happened?
>> Yeah. Guys, if you’ve ever
gone out and checked your own
water meter, you know that it’s just a series of numbers like
just a series of numbers like
this, right to 0, 0, 6, 4,
could mean that you used 6400
gallons of water, but for
dozens of homeowners and brand
new homes, the water department
was reading this and charging
them for 64,000 gallons of
water. The air left them owing hundreds more dollars than what
hundreds more dollars than what
they should have.
>> Right down the meter is
reading 10,384. So they would
actually bill me as if this at 103,000, that’s a big
103,000, that’s a big
difference. It’s 10 times as
much water.
>> Richie came back and his
neighbors at the Grove and Oak
Forest are drained.
>> Because nothing makes sense.
Everything’s inconsistent.
They hit me with a 40,000
gallons of usage and a $972
water bill.
>> Their homes are brand-new.
And so where the water meters,
the city of Houston installed,
that means they’re meters all started at 0. But after just
started at 0. But after just
one month, the new homeowners
realized something was way off.
>> Are you said shot up to
20,000 gallons 32,000 gallons
with me just doing regular
things like, you know, washing
clothes.
>> Kay Mac is a civil engineer.
He realized the problem when
he asked a water department
supervisor 2 weeks, Blaine, how
they read the meters. She said
in this snapshot from the city’s internal manual that
city’s internal manual that
instructed staff to read the
first 4 numbers. So this meter
would read
21,872 gallons, but the new
meters the city installed here
have a different read out one
less digit before the death
smell at the front. It means
instead of reading this as 6400 gallons, the customer would be
gallons, the customer would be
charged for 64th 1000 gallons.
These are brand new.
>> In a brand-new the meters
work fight. It’s the city not
setting them up, not knowing
how to step up, not reading the
manual, not contacting the
manufacturer. It’s it’s very
easy, but he was not easy. Getting the city to listen.
Getting the city to listen.
>> Kay Mac spoke with multiple
supervisors, even a field
technicians and to look at the
meter seem to agree with them.
The water department updated
its manual to add C-Max picture
and notify staff that some
newer meter models have 3
numbers after the decimal
point. But the city said that
wouldn’t change the way they
read them. I was baffled.
How can you say it’s one thing
but then decide you’re going to
continue the bill for something
else.
>> We reached out to the city
in December in assigned a
caseworker to these neighbors.
And after a month of the city
of Houston told us it discovered.
>> 58 customer accounts were
misread and billed incorrectly.
All of their outstanding bills
have now been cleared and
corrected their meters,
replaced.
>> Prior to talking to you.
I don’t think we’re getting
any traction.
>> Came back said the city did.
Thank him for bringing the air
to their attention, but there
was no apology. Just the
accountability up through
management and up through the It’s just not there.
It’s just not there.
>> Nobody zoning this problem.
>> So we also followed up with
the city to ask what about the
builder, who is paying for the
water going through those
meters before customers bought
the homes and came back to
instant his near show that 8
gallons of water had passed
through the meter before the
account was set up in his name.
So that would mean that the
builder was charged for 8,000
gallons of water. And this is
now months ago. The city told me it is now reviewing all of
me it is now reviewing all of
the close accounts that were
that were in the developer.
The builders name to see what
money they are now doing back.
Yeah.
>> So you think the problem is
finally behind us?
>> I don’t know. But I also
want people to know that they
have one of those new camps
Trump meters and they’re
noticing water irregularities
or how can I possibly views
this much water? It may be a
sign that you should follow
up with the city for us.