Rising tide of complaints targets high water meter bills
When Marie Margadonna received her water bill in late autumn of 2011, she was shocked to see that her usual subtotal of around $80 had jumped to $300 for the previous three months.
As a senior citizen whose grown children are long since gone from her Bath Beach home of over 50 years, Margadonna was baffled and called the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to get a second meter reading in order to clear up the discrepancy. Instead of help, though, she says she was told that the records were indeed correct.
They said they dont do second readings. Theyre saying I used that water. What I want to know is where [it could have gone], said Margadonna, who maintained that her bills had never gone past $90 before, even in the summer. I called Honeywell to check it out and they said it was fine. I called the plumber, and that cost me money, and he said nothing was wrong with the pipes so no leak. I didnt know what to do anymore so thats why I went to [Councilmember Vincent] Gentile.