I can tell you, Justin, it's a pretty big water
bill.
Now, this latest bill, she was built more than 26,000
gallons.
For perspective.
That's more gallons that it would take to fill an
average swimming pool.
This homeowner telling me she simply doesn't have the money.
But after our phone calls to the city, the city
center crew out here to check this water meter to
see where exactly this leak is coming from and why
her bill is so high.
What's really going on?
Why is the bill so high?
Janice McKinney calls it an inaccurate water bill that's $762.00.
I don't have the money to give them and why
should I?
In August, she received this bill alerting her she used
more than 26,000 gallons of water in just one month.
Do you think you've used more than 26,000 gallons of
water?
Of course not.
McKinney assumed it was a water leak, so she paid
to have a plumbing company assessor home.
And it came back that I was good.
I found the city of Atlanta also inspected her property
and determined there was no leak and it didn't find
errors with its water meter.
And because of that, the city told McKinney she's not
eligible for a bill adjustment, leaving her on the hook
to pay the $700.00 bill.
This was a shock because my normal bill is approximately
the average is $45.00.
It can be as low as 37 and as high
as 60.
I reached out to the city of Atlanta.
They sent a crew to Mckinney's home Tuesday and found
no leak in the meter, but did find an intermittent
leak coming from a plumbing source inside the home.
The city says they often approve bill adjustments, but homeowners
have to show where the leak has been repaired before
getting approved for an adjustment.
And I can't afford to just pay some astronomical amount.
And the city, again, they're saying that key part is
that proof homeowners have to show proof that these leaks
have been fixed before getting adjusted.
Now, if a homeowner is denied, they can appeal before
the board to see if that board can overrule the
city's decision for granting a bill adjustment.
Reporting live in southeast Atlanta.
Ashley Lincoln, Channel 2 Action News.
I mean, it's just something that hangs over you, you
know, if you've ever been through something like that.
So, Ashley, I'm glad you could bring some attention to
this now.