Fountain residents recieve call about increased water bill, utilities claims houses had leaks

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) - About a dozen people in Fountain say they're facing hundreds of dollars in extra utility charges, and the city tells them it's because of leaks.

Several Fountain residents contacted KRDO13 Investigates about exorbitant water bills, one household said they're being charged for using 50,000 gallons of water in only 10 days. On Friday, Fountain Utilities called them about their higher usage.

KRDO13 Investigates spoke with a woman who is facing a bill more than triple her normal monthly bill because the utility says she used nearly 50 thousand gallons of water in 10 days. 

Judy Bussell tells KRDO13 Investigates that her water bill this month will be around $600. But she doesn't believe the utility's reasoning for the sudden spike. 

Bussell and her daughter brought someone out to check for leaks after they got the call from the city on Friday. But, they say that person couldn't find anything wrong and, even the utility acknowledges that's a lot of water adding that it's consistent with a faucet running at full power for all of those days. 

Bussell's not alone. KRDO13 Investigates heard from several other utility customers who say their monthly bills have increased over the last three months because of what Fountain Utilities is calling a "leak." 

Fountain Utilities added they pull readings for areas of the city every 30 days. They call customers after they find abnormally high readings. 

Utility officials say they're working towards upgrading their system so that in the future they can call customers about increased usage after a 24-hour period instead of 30 days.

If you have a question or want to dispute your bill Fountain Utilities urges you to call them to discuss it.