‘Pull that money out of something’: Woman says $700 bill must be wrong

LOWELL, N.C. — Jenee Randall says four adults and two children live in her Lowell house, but that their water bill is never more than about $100 per month — until recently.

“I was like, $754? Where that come from?’” she told Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke. “I don’t know how I’m going to pull that money out of something. I mean, if it’s going to come from the sky.”

Stoogenke ran down his usual list of common causes for high water bills. A lot of showers? She told him no. A lot of house guests? Again, no. Washing the cars a bunch?

“No, we don’t wash the cars here. We go to the car wash,” she said.

Watering the lawn?

“We do not,” she said.

Speaking of the lawn, Randall says she checked the yard for wet spots to see if an underground pipe may have burst.

“No leaking, no bubbling, no nothing,” she said.

She called the City of Lowell. She says they sent someone out, but that he couldn’t identify the problem on the spot.

So, she hired a plumber at her own expense. He says he checked the house, slab, meter, and the outside hose bib. The verdict: No leak.

The City emailed Action 9:

“The City of Lowell received a complaint from a resident concerning unusually high-water usage. Upon receiving the complaint, the City followed all standard procedures for investigation, and review of the water usage issue. These included an on-site inspection by the Public Works Department to evaluate possible leaks and a 24-hour manual meter reading. The Public Works Department also replaced the existing meter with a new meter and performed another 24-hour manual reading. In addition to the on-site inspection, the City sent the original meter to the manufacturer for testing. The City has been advised that testing will take approximately 2-3 weeks to complete and is presently waiting on the results. All the above has been completed at no cost or charges assessed to the customer. The City has assured the customer that their water service will not be disconnected due to nonpayment while the investigation is ongoing. The City has also advised the customer that if the meter is found to be faulty or operating incorrectly, the City will adjust the bill accordingly. This determination will not be made until the investigation is complete. Again, we are still awaiting the manufacturer’s report and have no additional information available at this time.”

Here are Stoogenke’s thoughts on high water bills:

• One of the most common reasons for high water bills: leaky toilets. It’s easy to test: put a few drops of food coloring in the top tank and see if they end up in the bowl. Lowe’s offers good advice on this.
• Another culprit, one he mentioned earlier: a leak under your yard. Two things about this: 1) wait for a few dry days in a row and see if your grass is soggy and 2) you can buy buried line protection. It’s about $10 per month.
• See if your utility offers financial assistance.

>>CLICK HERE for more Action 9 reports

VIDEO: HOA that covers neighborhood’s water bills discovers it was paying someone else’s bill too

HOA that covers neighborhood’s water bills discovers it was paying someone else’s bill too

©2025 Cox Media Group