OMEN
09-01-2007, 10:25 AM
PHOENIX (AP) - A woman who spent four years trying to figure out why her water bills were exorbitantly high now knows why: Her lines were switched with a neighbor's.
Deanna Glener had endured unexpected water shutoffs and amazingly high bills since she moved into her Chandler home in 2003. Calls to the city water department brought no explanation or relief, so she finally called a plumber.
When he turned off her meter last week, he discovered the problem: Glener's water line was connected to her neighbor's meter and vice versa. The neighboring house has leaky sprinklers and a larger lot.
Jim Crocker of the city's water department said he has only seen three others in Chandler during 30 years of rapid growth and home building. And the city will make things right, he said, reimbursing the Gleners for years of overpayment
They'll also seek compensation from the neighboring home's owners, investors who live in Los Angeles, Crocker said.
Glener said the city promptly gave her credit for 348,000 gallons, the difference between her actual water use and her neighbor's.
"I won't have to pay a water bill for months," she said. She would like her neighbors to repair their sprinkler system, however, because it's flooding her rock yard.
The owners of the rental property, Opher Mizrahi and partner Robert Moskovits, were unaware of the mix-up. Mizrahi said he hasn't been contacted by Chandler officials and said it would be unfair for the city to bill him for past use.
AP
Deanna Glener had endured unexpected water shutoffs and amazingly high bills since she moved into her Chandler home in 2003. Calls to the city water department brought no explanation or relief, so she finally called a plumber.
When he turned off her meter last week, he discovered the problem: Glener's water line was connected to her neighbor's meter and vice versa. The neighboring house has leaky sprinklers and a larger lot.
Jim Crocker of the city's water department said he has only seen three others in Chandler during 30 years of rapid growth and home building. And the city will make things right, he said, reimbursing the Gleners for years of overpayment
They'll also seek compensation from the neighboring home's owners, investors who live in Los Angeles, Crocker said.
Glener said the city promptly gave her credit for 348,000 gallons, the difference between her actual water use and her neighbor's.
"I won't have to pay a water bill for months," she said. She would like her neighbors to repair their sprinkler system, however, because it's flooding her rock yard.
The owners of the rental property, Opher Mizrahi and partner Robert Moskovits, were unaware of the mix-up. Mizrahi said he hasn't been contacted by Chandler officials and said it would be unfair for the city to bill him for past use.
AP