I will soon introduce legislation requiring regulated water utilities to offer consumers a site inspection when a high meter reading indicates a potential leak.

My office has received numerous accounts from constituents of excessive water bills caused by large undetected water leaks. In one instance, the constituent received a bill for $9,000 for a non-surfacing water leak they had no way of identifying prior to receiving the shocking bill.

While homeowners have a responsibility to maintain water infrastructure on their property and some utilities do a fair job of providing notice, the bar is currently set too low. It is unreasonable to expect consumers to pay for countless routine inspections to preempt possible leaks, or to possess the technical expertise to identify hidden leaks on their own.

Under this legislation, water utilities would be required to:

  Notify the account holder of atypical water consumption 200% or $200 over their average consumption,
  Provide an estimate of future billing if the trend continues,
  Offer a site visit to help identify potential leaks.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this important consumer protection initiative. In doing so you will ensure consumers get a fair and protective system that helps prevent the financial hardship that accompanies unidentified water leaks.