Bixby Residents Address City Leaders About Skyrocketing Water Bills

Extremely high water bills this summer have some people in Bixby wanting the City to explain why the sudden increase.

Wednesday, people addressed the City over the sudden spikes, but many walked away unsatisfied with the answers. They were told it could be a usage increase or possibly a leak on their property.

Glenn Morgan just moved to Bixby and already, he says, there’s a problem.

On average, Morgan said he used 2,200 gallons of water a month while living in Broken Arrow. Since his move, that number has skyrocketed.

"My first bill was for 15,000 a month. My second bill was for 29,000 gallons," he said.

To him, his usage doesn't match his bill.

"It shouldn't use as much as what they're currently billing me for," he said.

Bixby buys water from Tulsa, and since 2011, the rate has gone up 40 percent.

After being contacted by people with higher than normal bills, the City found some issues.

"We did identify three or four of them - that the meters did show leak detection in the customers’ side of the meter," said City Manager Jared Cottle.

He said in June, the City increased its water pressure to make sure fire department lines had proper pressure. Some people think that could be driving up water usage, affecting appliances and irrigation systems - systems that can use more water when the pressure is increased.

Cottle said, "That does create a dramatic water bill."

Still, Morgan is left wanting a more specific answer.

"Explain why my usage would go up over 600 percent," he said.

City leaders said they will do tests to make sure meters are working properly. The also encourage people to lessen their usage.