American Water took over service from Jefferson Utilities at the beginning of October.

Immediately after this changeover, I began getting water bills that were much higher than normal. My average daily usage went from around 40 gallons to 141 gallons, according to my water bill. Note that I live alone and never water my lawn. So, I called West Virginia American Water about the discrepancy. They suggested that I have a leak. They sent a young man who came to my door early in the morning to tell me that I had a leak between the meter and the house. He said the gauge was spinning.

Immediately after this visit, I hired a plumber. The first thing my plumber did was to check for leaks. He checked my water systems and gauges inside the house — no leaks. Then he checked my average daily usage via my Culligan water filtration system, which recorded the use of 45 gallons per day on average over the life of my system (note that the previous home owners, who also used this system, were a family of six, and that I am a family of two). The plumber also checked my water usage from the previous day, Nov. 30, which was 18 gallons. Next, he checked my external hose bibs, before checking the meter external to the house. The gauge was unmoving, stationary, dead as a doornail; I had no leaks. And yet my average daily water usage had spiked from around 40 gallons to 141 gallons, according to American Water.

Unlike most local customers, I had the resources on hand to refute the company error: (1) diagnostic report from my plumber indicating no leaks internal or external to my home; (2) all my previous water usage bills showing an average daily usage consistent with my Culligan water filtration system’s average daily usage of around 40 gallons; and (3) a water filtration system with the ability to allow me to track my daily usage, which I now have to do to enable me to defend against the business practices of American Water.

Unfortunately for us, not all customers have the resources and systems inside their homes to refute the company’s errors. I want the community, the Better Business Bureau and the Public Service Commission to be aware of what kind of business they have recently loosed on their citizens.

Lisa Frey, of Shepherdstown