ST. CLOUD, Fla. – Residents of St. Cloud have raised concerns over unusually high water bills, prompting responses from the Toho Water Authority acknowledging the issue but noting variability in individual cases.
Andrew Croke, a resident, shared his frustration with News 6, noting, “How does it double when we have done nothing different, and there have been times when we have gone away for a week?”
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Croke highlighted inconsistencies in his water billing, with charges fluctuating between $65 and $150 in different months, before settling back to around $80.
He added that the month-to-month usage graph shows no consistent pattern of a leak, as the usage goes up and down.
As a member of the Facebook group St. Cloud Rants and Raves, Croke is not alone, with dozens of community members voicing similar complaints.
He explained, “We do two loads of laundry a week, we wash our work clothes together in one load and towels, that’s it.”
The Toho Water Authority addressed these concerns, citing a significant issue with their electronic devices that wirelessly transmit water usage readings to their billing system. The problem was identified in January, with about 6,500 devices failing in St. Cloud alone.
The Authority stated, “We have replaced 26,329 devices since February 14th. We expect to replace another 30,000 of them this year with our accelerated plan and project that most of the system will be replaced over the next 3 to 5 years.”
Additionally, Toho Water Authority warned that some customers might be experiencing leaks or other issues specific to their homes, contributing to the variation in bills.
The Authority continues efforts to work closely with customers to resolve these billing irregularities and improve the reliability of water usage reporting across the city.