CHICAGO (WLS) — The ABC7 I-Team is hearing from more Chicago residents with enormous water bills.
Some consumers say they feel blown off by the city and the water department, with little explanation of why their bill is so high.
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Since the first story in October, the I-Team has heard from people across Chicago who say their water bill skyrocketed overnight.
They are not water bills in the hundreds or the thousands, they are in the tens of thousands. For one family, it was more than $20,000.
Elizabeth Finan and her spouse have been in possession of a North Side apartment complex for an extended period. She mentioned that they typically receive a bi-monthly water bill of around $3,000, but the bill she received in January was shocking: $26,369.94.
“It’s terrible. I can’t sleep,” Finan said. “My stomach is in my throat. I’m worried.”
Following this, Finan stated that they immediately contacted an engineer to examine the property for any leaks, but no anomalies were found. Subsequently, they reached out to the city’s Department of Water Management for assistance.
“She said the last actual reading was in 2017, and these are all estimated and when they came out and read the meter, this was the bill,” Finan said.
With estimated readings over the last eight years and a new bill for $26,000, Finan said it just doesn’t add up.
“These are the readings they’ve been charging us or the last two years, and this is the last bill,” Finan said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Senai Chweh said her family owns a property on 47th Street, which is made up of four storefronts, two of which are currently vacant.
She said they pay about $120 every other month for water. But this past January, they got a water bill for $14,891.84.
“We felt helpless,” Chweh said. “We felt we weren’t going to get any help from the city… we felt handicapped, which is why I reached out to you.”
Similarly to the Finans, she explained that the water department disclosed that they had been receiving estimated water readings for many years, and the current bill reflects the actual usage.
“How is any individual supposed to pay a $15,000 after paying $120 every other month?” Chweh said.
Both women received massive water bills in January, and both say the city changed their water meter last September. With little explanation from the city, they said the ordeal is causing them undue financial and emotional stress.
“My husband and I are fighting because we’re on edge. It’s terrible,” Finan said. “We’re landlords, we get less sympathy than people that are homeowners or a three flat. But it’s important, because if our costs go up, our rent has to go up… I can’t fight on my own.”
Rising water bills is a story the ABC7 I-Team has been uncovering since last fall. ABC7 heard from Darlene Robinson in Englewood.
“I don’t owe $36,000 on water,” Robinson said. “I don’t owe it!”
ABC7 also heard from the Herreras family in Back of the Yards, who received a $20,000 water bill.
“This is ridiculous,” Katherine Herrera said. “We don’t understand why our water bill is so high.”
Alderman Raymond Lopez of the 15th Ward, who sits on the city’s finance committee, has been vocal about his concerns with billing and water meters. He too wants answers from the water department, as more residents with high bills come forward.
“All of Chicago will eventually have water meters, so we better figure this problem out and help people adjust once the meters come in,” Ald. Lopez said. “We can’t have sticker sending people into water stricken panics, every time we engage a new water meter in the city of Chicago.”
Water Management Commissioner Randy Conner would not sit down with ABC7 for an interview.
Spokespersons for the city’s finance department and the department of water management told the I-Team they cannot comment on specific account information, but said they are aware of the customers’ complaints and will be looking into their cases.
The North Side property owner feels whatever the city is doing with water readings and billing simply is not working.
“We live here. We work here,” Finan said. “We need to have a system that works for us.”
After ABC7 reached out, Finan said her water bill went from $26,000 to about $6,000, but she said that’s still wrong and wants the city to fix it once and for all.
Chweh said her bill has remained the same at nearly $15,000.
If you have a problem you want Samantha Chatman and the ABC7 I-Team to investigate, Sam is on your side. Give her a call at 312-750-7TIP.
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