DELCAMBRE, La. — People in Delcambre may notice a higher water bill soon. The city has been working since 2017 to change their system from a fixed rate to a pay-for-what-you-use system.
That project was only expected to take two years, but the new system is still not in effect.
City officials tell KATC it is 40 water meters throughout the city that aren't reading properly holding up the switch. Residents should expect their new meters to be working by next month.
"We're still on a fixed rate, we're all anticipating what it's going to do with our sewer rate versus water," resident Tommy Heimberger said.
Heimberger says the city installed a water meter outside of his house a year ago. Since then he continues to pay a flat rate, wondering if and when will his water bill go up.
"I haven't heard nothing, haven't heard anything from city hall. Nobody has talked about nothing," Heimberger said.
"I think we were supposed to turn it on last April, and things just didn't go right, didn't get everything done, so we're just wrapping up," Mayor Pam Blakely explains.
Blakely says they are finishing fixing some of the meters before going online. She worries someone may have a leak in their pipes and not know about it until it is too late. The new meters, however, do allow officials to see leaks in the system.
"We've been calling people to fix their leaks, because we do not want people to have to pay extra money," she says. "We don't want to waste your money."
Residents can check their usage online or on a mobile app called Beacon. They will still pay the city.
The mayor says people should not expect their water bills to go up unless they use more than 3,000 gallons a month. According to her, the rate will stay at $21.50 for the first 3,000 gallons. Every 1,000 gallons after that will cost $5.20.
Blakely also said the new bill should not come out until after April.
