Man blames DeKalb County for damage, water leaks after getting $1,000 bill

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Chad Carlson said he was billed with an amount that’s out of the ballpark of what he pays for his water.

“It was $1,019 for the month of October,” Carlson said.

He told Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln that Dekalb County said he used more than 53,000 gallons of water in October.

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He hired a plumber, who he said found two breaks near his water meter.

“One at the beginning of the meter and then one halfway up,” he said.

Carlson told Channel 2 Action News he blames the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management for the damage. He showed Lincoln images of crews working on his water main around Oct. 20.

“When they pulled it up, they probably damaged some of the pipes,” he said.

Carlson says he received another blow: the county said he wasn’t eligible to participate in their water forgiveness program.

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It’s a program that reduces unusually high water bills. He said the officials told him, due to his acceptance of a settlement offer, he’s not eligible to participate in the water forgiveness program.

“It’s completely unfair,” said Carlson.

Back in October, Channel 2 Action News reported on damage done to Carlson’s property. He says it came from when water backed up into his home from that same county water main project.

“I feel like I’ve been wronged and truthfully if I had a choice and if I could move right now, I would get really far away from DeKalb County,” he said.

After a Channel 2 Action News investigation, the County settled with Carlson, paying him more than $10,000 for the damages.

But Carlson said the county told him because he signed the settlement letter, that means he can never challenge the county for any claims or damages.

“I just want them to honor their water forgiveness program, that way I can get my water bill back to normal,” Carlson said.

In response to requests by Channel 2 Action News, DeKalb officials said Carlson called DeKalb County Utility Customer Operations on Dec. 4 about a high water bill and was told it would be investigated.

The next day, the county said a representative called Carlson on a recorded line and told him an adjustment could not be made at the time because he had ongoing, continuous consumption from Sept. 27, which indicated a leak. On Dec. 6, officials said the continuous consumption at the house stopped.

“Upon request a customer’s bill may be adjusted for unusually high water usage if the customer provides invoices showing that a repair has been made and future billings reflect a normal consumption,” officials said.

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