Some neighbors concerned with high water bills in Iowa Colony

IOWA COLONY, Texas (KTRK) -- Imagine your water bill going from an average of $60 a month to more than $200.

That's the reality for some neighbors in the Meridiana master-planned community in Iowa Colony.

Some neighbors in the Brazoria County neighborhood say their water bills have spiked since new smart meters were put in last year.

They tell ABC13 they want answers and solutions after they say their bills spiked dramatically in the last year.

An attorney for MUD 55 said they're working on our questions.

A MUD is a municipal utility district, which is created to provide water, sewage, and drainage to master-planned communities, frequently outside of city limits.

MUD 55's operator, SiEnviro, said water meters have been changed and told ABC13 it had complaints from three to five people in the last month, and adjustments were made to their bills.

Neighbors told Eyewitness News that after MUD 55 installed smart water meters in the area last year, the billing issues began.

SiEnviro said it switched out meters last April or May. The operator also said that during the change-out process to smart water meters last year, there was a two to three-month period that some customers may have experienced higher than normal usage.

SiEnviro told ABC13 that it had quite a few people complain last year.

"It makes me feel really upset because we need water in our house," homeowner Elizabeth Guerra said. "I don't think it's right. I'm not going to pay for something that we did not use, simply."

Guerra lives in Iowa Colony, a community perched near Highway 288 in Brazoria County. She said her water bill on average was between $65 and $75, but in the last year, she's had bills of over $100, more than $200, and even more than $300 without changing her water usage. She told Eyewitness News she doesn't have a new pool, hasn't added anyone new to the household, and hasn't changed daily water use.

Guerra said she's addressed her concerns to customer service at SiEnviro, and that they told her to pay the average of her bill. In March, however, she received a delinquency letter. She again called to address the problems and was told to pay her average, so she has continued to do so.

She's not alone, though, with some neighbors having messaged with similar complaints. Some even told ABC13 their water was disconnected on Tuesday afternoon.

A handful of neighbors have taken their grievance to not only the water company but to a neighborhood social media group in the last several months to talk about spikes in their bills. Some have bills as much as four times what they usually pay.

"I feel cheated, and I feel honestly like it's an abuse of power. They have the power to look into this with integrity and fidelity, and they're not," Guerra said.

Some neighbors told ABC13 that the teams at SiEnviro even checked for leaks multiple times, but the high water bills kept coming.

SiEnviro representatives said all the water meters have been changed and urged customers to reach out to them if they're receiving a high bill so they can address their concerns.

"Depending on which rep you speak to determines what outcome you have - there's no consistency," Guerra said.

Another neighbor told ABC13 on Tuesday that she was on the phone with SiEnviro for nearly two hours to get her water reconnected after it was cut off. She said she was paying the monthly average she was advised to pay by customer service reps.

A MUD 55 attorney told ABC13 they're also working on getting answers to our questions.