A Metchosin resident is warning others after he was stuck with a bill for hundreds of dollars after a recent water leak.
Peter Scott received a $6,000 water bill from the Capital Regional District (CRD) after a CRD meter reader notified them of the leak near the water box located at the top of his driveway last week.
Scott immediately shut off the water and had a plumber come and fix the leak on the same day. The leak occurred from a cracked fitting on the metre. ScottB次元官网网址檚 home is below street level and with all the rain in recent weeks, there was no way to see it. Scott estimates the leak occurred about two months ago and leaked as much water as the family uses in two years.
A few days later, Scott received a bill for $6,000.
B次元官网网址淵ou get a real pit in your stomach because thatB次元官网网址檚 not affordable,B次元官网网址� said Scott, noting the CRD dropped the bill to $3,000 and then again to $1,000. His regular bill, which has been the same for more than a decade, is $60 every two months.B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 still $1,000 for us B次元官网网址� that just means no vacation. To tell us that was just jarring and petrifying. What were we supposed to have done to avoid this?B次元官网网址�
According to the CRDB次元官网网址檚 website, the best way to check for a leak is to use the homeB次元官网网址檚 water meter. Residents should shut off all water-using appliances and fixtures, remove the lid, which is usually concrete or metal and about 10 by 15 inches, from the meter box. The website says residents must B次元官网网址減lay detectiveB次元官网网址� to find the source of the leak.
The CRD said the issue has since been resolved, but Scott hopes his story will serve as a cautionary tale to other residents.
B次元官网网址淧eople would be surprised to learn that somethingB次元官网网址檚 that out by the road that they have no way of knowing about, could end up costing them this amount of money, and that the CRD would hold them responsible for it, even though the CRD doesnB次元官网网址檛 give them any practical way of preventing it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淵ou have to lift the cover off the box and itB次元官网网址檚 a man hole cover. Your average senior citizen isnB次元官网网址檛 going to be able to pull that up.B次元官网网址�
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