Cobb County

Cobb County homeowners complain they are seeing late or skyrocketing water bills

By Michele Newell
By Michele Newell

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Some homeowners in Cobb County say they are having problems with their water bills. Some are seeing the charges skyrocket, while others are not getting their bills on time.

Cobb County officials told Channel 2′s Michele Newell they believe the problem could possibly be connected to a billing delay.

“We’ve been in this house quite a while and we’ve never had problems with the water bills,” homeowner Mark Klein said.

Klein said he noticed a spike in his water bills after he discovered two different leaks on his property.

“It was in this flower bed. They had to dig this whole thing up,” Klein said showing Newell where crews found the leak. “This was another leak in our garage, but it was a very small leak, it wasn’t 22,000 gallons worth.”

Klein showed Newell his water bills.

“Even After fixing the leaks. We are still experiencing much higher bills than we’ve experienced over the past three years,” Klein said. “$40, $50 a month to $400, $300.”

Cobb County Water System gave Klein a credit, but he feels more should be done.

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“I don’t feel that they gave us a fair credit based on what we experienced,” Klein said.

Newell spoke with other homeowners who say they’ve noticed higher water bills and late bills.

“When I was looking at the bill, I noticed I was charged a tier-two rate where I normally am not,” homeowner Angie Mellen said.

She said she received a refund after she contacted the Cobb County Water System.

“They tried to put me off in the beginning but then they did the right thing,” Mellen said.

As for the late bills, Cobb County officials said customers may experience delays in receiving their bills because the contracted meter reading vendor is experiencing a staffing shortage.

Cobb County officials told Newell that the current billing issue could be the problem because they haven’t received complaints beyond that.

Anyone with billing issues should contact the water system at watercustomerservice@cobbcounty.org.

They can also call customer service at tel:+1-770-419-6200 or visit the Water System’s lobby during regular business hours. Although some customers may receive higher bills due to this issue, they will see a shorter billing period and a smaller bill in subsequent billings. The Water System says most households use water that puts them in a Tier 2 billing (4,000 – 15,000 gallons), so the larger period should not move them into a higher tier. Still, those who believe the billing issue caused them to move into a higher tier can contact customer service for an adjustment.

The leak adjustment policy only provides a partial leak adjustment for one leak in 12 months. Information on our leak credit policy is on our website at https://www.cobbcounty.org/water/customer-service/leaks.

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