Washing dishes is something most of us do without a second thought, But for some Kern County residents, everyday water use is coming with a much bigger price tag than expected. 23ABC spoke with one homeowner who says her latest water bill nearly doubled, and getting answers from her water provider.
Northeast Bakersfield homeowner Jennifer Herrera says it’s been a while since she last washed an entire load of dishes by hand.
She and her kids have also not been able to enjoy a shower longer than five minutes in over a month.
And that’s for one reason only, her water bill won’t stop rising.
After she saw multiple comments on social media asking about their water bills, she decided to check hers.
“I was shocked,” said Herrera. “I’m hardly home during day, we’re out and about but I know my highest bill has always been $320 to $350 during the summer but never 600.”
That’s right, a total bill of $637.03 for June, and in that time, she says she’s inspected everything, and all appears to be fine.
“We checked all the toilets, the sinks, we’ve checked for leaks, we’ve turned off the water, we’ve checked the meter to see its not moving and we just can’t figure it out,” said Herrera.
Reaching out to the California water service, they say the explanation is simple.
“In the summer, when customers tend to use more water outdoors they may not realize how much water they are using,” said Director of Corporate Communications for California Water Service Yvonne Kingman.
Yvonne Kingman with Cal Water says they use what’s called a tiered rate system, dividing water use into two categories: essential water needs and non essential water use.
Kingman says once customers start to go higher in tiers, the price of water rises as well.
“If someone was to use a lot of water and move into our upper most tier which starts at 27 ccs, that’s over 20,000 gallons used in a month,” said Kingman.
Kingman encourages customers who notice unusually high bills to check for hidden leaks, closely track water usage, and contact customer service for a detailed bill review.
As temperatures climb this summer, water usage, and monthly bills, can rise fast. For more information on water-saving tools and resources, click here.
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