Council, DPW Address High Water Bills

Rachana Gray and her husband were in for a surprise when they opened their October water bill. The couple, who have three children, received a bill from the Department of Public Works for over $400, but were given no indication of why. 

“A normal bill is $50,” Gray said. “So we called the billing office immediately.”

But after several more triple-digit bills and many more phone calls, the Grays have yet to settle their bill.

At  Tuesday's City Council Meeting, members of the Public Works Committee met with Department of Public Works commissioner Edward Sweeney about the high volume of excessive water bills. Sweeney said the DPW has anywhere from five to 20 abatement hearings per month.

“I’m confused as to why the problem isn’t slowing up,” Councilor Paul DiPietro said.

Sweeney said the problem is when residents don’t realize they have a leak. A bill that goes up by a large amount from one billing cycle to the next is an indication that there is a leak in the meter.

The water meters measure every fifteen minutes, or 96 times per day, according to Sweeney. If the meter detects usage over 22 times per day, a person’s water bill is marked with an excessive usage code. But if the meter doesn’t cross that threshold, a person’s bill might not reflect a sudden change.

A resident must pay the bill even if it is caused by a leak. If a resident suspects a faulty meter, they can schedule an abatement hearing with the DPW.

The most common type of leak is from toilets.

 Sweeney said the water meters installed three years ago are more accurate than the ones before it, and people saw an increase in their water usage. While many high water bills are caused by leaks, sometimes residents don’t realize how much water they are actually using.

 “We do give abatements where they are justified,” said Sweeney. He said about half of abatements are granted.

Sweeney and the committee came up with a set of recommendations so citizens are aware of a leak before their bill skyrockets: 

• Place an easy to read, multi-lingual FAQ page on the Department of Public Works website so that people can learn to detect water leaks and what to do if they want to file an abatement.
• Put all leak codes, from 1-6, in every water bill so that residents can monitor usage.
• Allow a citizen to be present at the abatement hearing after it has been tabled and discussed by the Department of Public Works.
• Set a quicker billing cycle, less than the current 45 days, so that residents can monitor usage.

After complaining to the billing office, hiring a plumber, and getting paid a visit from the city inspector, the Grays have yet to solve their water problem.

“I’m pleased about the recommendations,” Gray said after the meeting. “But it still doesn’t help me.”

• Malden residents will get the chance to voice their concerns over the proposed resident parking sticker program. Councilor Bucci said that the council is “designing the ultimate program” and that they hope to get a lot of interaction from Malden residents.  The first of three public hearings will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Linden School.

• The City Council voted unanimously to reappoint James O’Brien and Kathleen French to positions in the Assessor’s Office.