Houston family confused, faces almost $6,000 water bill

Houston family shocked with $6,000 water bill

FOX 26 Reporter Matthew Seedorff spoke with the family who are amazed to receive an almost $6,000 water bill for their home. They say they don't have any problems within their home that would warrant such a high water bill.

HOUSTON - A Houston family is desperate for answers after they received a nearly $6,000 water bill.

"I’m scared," said Maria Lucio.

Maria and her family have lived in the same Southeast Houston home for decades. They say they have never received a water bill even close to $6,000.

"[The] regular bill was about $40 to $60 a month," said Maria’s daughter Monica Lucio. "Then, the next one was a $2,000 adjustment and then a $3,000 adjustment. There really was no warning."

After the "adjustments" listed on the bill, the family now owes almost $6,000. They say they’ve never missed a "current charge" listed on the bill, and they don’t understand where the thousands of dollars in "adjustments" came from.

According to the Lucio family, the city is charging them for using about 163,000 gallons of water. That’s roughly 5,500 full bath tubs.

"There would be a big lake in our yard or something," said Monica Lucio. "[Or], some sort of property damage, because where is it all going? We’re not running a water park. It doesn’t make sense."

"If they’re not being intentionally picked on, they’re definitely being put on the back burner or ignored," said Rosie Lucio, Maria’s daughter.

FOX 26 did locate a water main break roughly a mile from the Lucio’s home. However, the family says this break has only been there for a few days, and the "adjustments" started showing up on the bills weeks ago. Also, the Lucio’s have asked their neighbors, so far none of them have noticed unusual water bills.

"You would notice [a major water leak] right away," said Raul Hernandez, the family’s son-in-law. "[The break] would be on your property. You would see a bunch of pooling. A bunch of property damage."

Hernandez works as a plumber. He says he has checked the family’s property several times and can’t find any issues. Also, the water meter appears to be running accurately.

"There’s no water damage around the residence to show where there might be some leakage," said Hernandez.

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According to the Lucio family, they were given until July 27 to pay the $6,000 bill, or their water would get shut off. However, the deadline was recently extended until August 11.

"There’s no leak, nothing," said Maria Lucio. "I hope everything is okay. Really, really, I hope."

A spokesperson from Houston Public Works provided the written statement below about the issue:

"I will send this over to Customer Account Services to review," said the spokesperson. "They will investigate and reach out to the customer to resolve their billing concerns. Under Texas law, Houston Public Works is unable to provide specific details regarding utility accounts. We encourage any customer with concerns or questions regarding their bill to reach out to Customer Account Services at (713-371-1400)."

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