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A Lowell resident received a $3,000 water bill

Monicel
A Lowell resident received a ,000 water bill

Several Lowell residents say their water bills have doubled or tripled in recent months.

One resident received a bill in excess of $3,000.

City officials say a rate increase was approved in July under the new budget, but it wouldn’t be such a drastic change in bills.

Oakland Street resident Debra Godfrey typically receives a $20 water bill each month, according to her daughter and neighbor, Amanda Tyson.

Since losing her husband a few months ago, Godfrey has only used enough water for one person in her home, Tyson said.

However, a recent water bill received in the mail informed Godfrey that he owed just over $3,070.

Tyson said her mother isn’t the only one seeing an increase.

Other neighbors on Oakland Street, including Tyson’s sister Hope Godfrey, have also received increased bills.

Hope Godfrey said her bill is usually about $60, but it went up to $80 two months ago, and most recently it was $165 despite not having a washing machine and having the same number of people in the house .

“I have no idea what’s going on, but it’s crazy,” he said. “It’s killing me, I’m a single mom.”

According to Tyson, she and Hope Godfrey have inspected her mother’s property for a leak, but found no sign of one, nor did she think of a reason why others in the neighborhood would also suffer an increase in water bills.

Tyson, who lives in the same neighborhood but on a different street from his sister and mother, said he hasn’t seen his bill go up, but many on his mother’s street have.

In a social media post, Tyson asked if other Lowell residents were experiencing a drastic increase and several said yes.

Lowell Mayor Larry Simonds said the city recently received a $1,500 bill from a resident due to a system failure, and several others have complained about rising bills. the water

Mayor Pro Tem Scott Bates said neither the 6 percent water rate increase nor the 3 percent sewer rate increase approved in July could cause such extreme changes in a person

He recommends that residents who question whether they are experiencing a water leak make sure all water sources in their home are turned off and check their water meter to see if the numbers continue to rise.

If they continue to rise even though all the water is turned off, it could be a sign of a water leak.

Lowell Interim City Manager Tyler Cobb and Public Works Director Justin Pearson could not be reached for further information.

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