Washing dishes is something most of us do without a second thought, But for some Kern County residents, everyday water use is coming with a much bigger price tag than expected. 23ABC spoke with one homeowner who says her latest water bill nearly doubled, and getting answers from her water provider.<\/p>\n
Northeast Bakersfield homeowner Jennifer Herrera says it\u2019s been a while since she last washed an entire load of dishes by hand.<\/p>\n
She and her kids have also not been able to enjoy a shower longer than five minutes in over a month.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s for one reason only, her water bill won\u2019t stop rising.<\/p>\n
After she saw multiple comments on social media asking about their water bills, she decided to check hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was shocked,\u201d said Herrera. \u201cI\u2019m hardly home during day, we\u2019re out and about but I know my highest bill has always been $320 to $350 during the summer but never 600.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s right, a total bill of $637.03 for June, and in that time, she says she\u2019s inspected everything, and all appears to be fine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe checked all the toilets, the sinks, we\u2019ve checked for leaks, we\u2019ve turned off the water, we\u2019ve checked the meter to see its not moving and we just can\u2019t figure it out,\u201d said Herrera.<\/p>\n
Reaching out to the California water service, they say the explanation is simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the summer, when customers tend to use more water outdoors they may not realize how much water they are using,\u201d said Director of Corporate Communications for California Water Service Yvonne Kingman.<\/p>\n
Yvonne Kingman with Cal Water says they use what\u2019s called a tiered rate system, dividing water use into two categories: essential water needs and non essential water use.<\/p>\n
Kingman says once customers start to go higher in tiers, the price of water rises as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone was to use a lot of water and move into our upper most tier which starts at 27 ccs, that\u2019s over 20,000 gallons used in a month,\u201d said Kingman.<\/p>\n
Kingman encourages customers who notice unusually high bills to check for hidden leaks, closely track water usage, and contact customer service for a detailed bill review.<\/p>\n
As temperatures climb this summer, water usage, and monthly bills, can rise fast. For more information on water-saving tools and resources, click here.<\/p>\n
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