OPELOUSAS, La. — "A small business like mine, it should be just like a house; ya know, a house water bill because I am not using that much water at all," said Jeff Anderson, a local barber.
Jeff Anderson owns a barber shop located downtown Opelousas. He says his water bill is higher than usual.
My water bill should be like it was before; I was paying like $35.00 per month, now it's like $50.00 a month; it just ridiculous," said Anderson.
He says his business only relies on a bit of water.
"This is a barbershop; I don't wash hair here; I cut hair," said Anderson.
Jeff is not alone. If you live in Opelousas, you may be like Anderson, reeling over high water bills. Mayor Julius Alsandor says the high water bills are due to the new water meter system.
"We are now in the process of changing 6,000 meters in the city of Opelousas," said Mayor Alsandor.
The city partnered with third-party company Vanguard to install new smart water meters, replacing the old meters.
"The old meters were not registering correctly; people were getting minimum bills because we couldn't read them properly," said Travis Vanwright, the Director for Public Works.
The Mayor says the meter installation, a 4.2 million dollar project, will increase prices.
"Now that the new smart meters are in, their bills have gone up because they are being charged for the actual usage of the water going through those meters," said the Mayor.
It is recommended to remain vigilant and take note of any potential leaks, as it could potentially affect your billing.
"I want to be perfectly clear, if there is a leak before the new meter installation, you will not be charged, but anything that goes through the new meter, that responsibility falls upon the customer," said the Mayor.
To help identify if you have a leak, you can download the Eye on Water app.
"The eye on the water app will tell you exactly accurately how much water is growing through your meter," said the Mayor
The app is free to download, and all you have to do is register using your account number and service address.
For now, there are 1200 meters left to be installed.
If you have issues with your bill, you can go to city hall and see if options are available but take note that the city says payment plans will not be an option.
If you want to download the app, click the links below.
