HOUSTON – The city of Houston could soon spend nearly $18 million on new water meters — but some residents say they’re still dealing with the fallout from the last round of meters the city installed.
Houston is weighing an $18 million water meter investment, following a KPRC 2 Investigates report in May that revealed some city-installed water meters were faulty or malfunctioning — causing residents to overpay on their water bills.
One of those residents lives on Fondren Meadows and says she still doesn’t know whether her meter was fixed or replaced.
“It’s giving me a headache. We get a high one, we get a low one,” said Berrlyn Nelson, a Houston homeowner.
Nelson says her billing troubles began after the city installed a new water meter about a year ago. She says her bill had averaged around $130 a month for the past 20 years before the problems started.
The city issued Nelson credits for the overcharges. For a couple of months in the spring, her balance was $0 — and then in June and July, her bill averaged between $80 and $100.
“So I said they finally got it straightened out, but then no, we got a $300 bill. That’s when I called,” Nelson said.
Nelson says she also knew to check a list of home addresses published by KPRC 2 Investigates on Click2Houston.com.