HOUSTON – Louis Catanzaro and his wife Reen are disputing their water bill and demanding an explanation from the City of Houston as to why it’s so high.
“Our concern is that we’re on fixed income, social security, we’re both 65,” Catanzaro said.
Catanzaro shared his utility bills with KPRC 2. The last two came in at over a thousand dollars each and claimed they used over 40,000 gallons of water.
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“It’s just the two of us, there’s no way we use that much water. It indicates the last two months that we used 38,000 gallons, that would be a lake if there was a water leak anywhere,” said Catanzaro.
Catanzaro said he hired a plumber to come out and inspect his home and meter but they found nothing.
He’s since called and filed a dispute with the city’s Public Works department.
“First of all getting through to someone that you can talk to, is a big frustration. Secondly, we talked to them today they were putting us on an administrative hold but told us it would still take 30 to 90 days for something to be resolved,” Catanzaro said.
KPRC 2 found that your water cannot be shut off if you call to dispute your water bill while it’s being investigated. You should not only call to make a dispute but follow up with an email to the water department, so you have proof you filed a dispute.
Catanzaro is not only hopeful he will be reimbursed for the past bill he tells us the city officials need to give Houstonians an explanation on how and why this Is happening.