City of Seattle responds to $7,000 water bill controversy
Mar 18, 2016, 12:17 PM | Updated: Mar 21, 2016, 2:34 pm
A Seattle resident is in a dispute with the City of Seattle over a water bill that is more than $7,000. (Contributed)
(Contributed)
Update
The City of Seattle argues that it offered to test the water meter of a Seattle resident who received a utility bill of more than $7,000.
Moreover, the city said it would let the man, Eddie Causin, watch while it was tested, Seattle Public Utilities spokesperson Andy Ryan said.
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Ryan said the city will continue to examine Causin’s water usage. If the city is able to demonstrate the water wasn’t used on his property, Causin will not be charged.
However, Ryan said it is “highly unlikely” that the meter is going to be found defective.
“Our meters are almost always 99.999 percent accurate – they just don’t break,” he said.
Causin argues the city incorrectly billed him. His February bill was more than $7,000 for two months of usage.
“Obviously there was something kind of screwy going on with the water bill and the meter,” he told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson last week.
But nobody could find anything wrong with the meter. It was working fine.
Because the city couldn’t find anything wrong with the water system, Causin became responsible for the bill and usage of what the city says is 317,900 gallons of water.
He says he is now in the appeal process and he’s setting up a hearing.
“Honestly, I might be looking for some legal help, at some point,” he told Dori.
Ryan said it would not be impossible to use that much water; a running toilet, for example, could potentially rack up a large bill on its own.
Original
Eddie Causin is in the midst of a dispute with Seattle Public Utilities.
His February bill was more than $7,000 for two months of usage.
“Obviously there was something kind of screwy going on with the water bill and the meter,” he told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson.
But nobody could find anything wrong with the meter, he explained. It was working fine.
Because the city couldn’t find anything wrong with the water system, Causin became responsible for the bill and usage of what the city says is 317,900 gallons of water.
He says he is now in the appeal process and he’s setting up a hearing.
“Honestly, I might be looking for some legal help, at some point,” he told Dori.
Listen to Dori’s entire interview below.
