ATLANTA – For years, Atlanta residents have struggled with sky-high water bills that seemed to defy logic—and often, even evidence. Many took their complaints to the city’s Water and Sewer Appeals Board, only to be denied adjustments. But now, a new commissioner at the helm of the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is pledging to fix a system that critics say has long failed its customers.

“We got to move from being where we are, both with the reliability [and] the accuracy. 99.9% is not good enough,” said Commissioner Greg Eyerly, who stepped into the role just three months ago. “We got to be like the airlines… 99.999999% accurate.”

Eyerly is taking over as the department faces scrutiny over malfunctioning meters, outdated technology, and a lack of transparency that has left customers in the dark—sometimes literally.

$12K water bill for retiree

What we know:

One of those customers is Jeffrey Williams, a retiree who says his water bill jumped from $153 a month to over $12,000 during a four-month stretch in 2022. “It started off with what I thought was a simple situation of our meter not accurately reporting our water usage,” he said.

Williams hired a plumber who confirmed a faulty meter, but the city’s appeals board still denied his request for an adjustment.

“I move that there is no adjustment,” a board member said during Williams’ hearing.

$81K water bill for unused property

What they’re saying:

The same outcome befell Gail Mapp, who contested $81,000 in bills for an unused property on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Her water bills had been $13.12 a month until a city register replacement. Neither her own plumbers nor city inspectors found leaks. Still, the board rejected her appeal.

Both Williams and Mapp sued the city. Both won.

“And I think that’s where, you know, this rub is,” said Mapp. “Why is the board denying some of these claims when there really is no evidence of a leak or anything else?”

Atlanta’s Water and Sewer Appeals Board

The other side:

The Water and Sewer Appeals Board is an independent body appointed by the Atlanta City Council. But the utility’s challenges extend beyond governance.

“We have meters now that have broken and we have to go out and fix them,” said Eyerly. “That’s why we end up with estimated reads—because the meter is broken.”

Eyerly said about 174,000 accounts are currently on the system, and even a small percentage of faulty meters can have a large impact.

He believes modernizing the city’s 15-year-old metering system is the key to reducing these billing issues. “That technology was the best available at the time… it’s past time [to change it]. So that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

Atlanta Watershed upgrades

What’s next:

The department is now beginning a six-year rollout of upgraded smart meters that will give customers real-time access to their water usage.

“It’s not a black box anymore,” Eyerly said. “You know exactly what your readings are—all the time.”

Atlanta Watershed field inspections

What you can do:

In the meantime, the department is encouraging customers who suspect an issue to request field inspections. Eyerly said the department is also ramping up maintenance efforts and proactively replacing registers.

“We want to reduce the number of people that have these disputes,” Eyerly said. “We want to put common sense back into this.”

Mayor Dickens $2B infrastructure investment

Dig deeper:

Earlier this year, Mayor Andre Dickens announced a $2 billion, 20-year investment to overhaul Atlanta’s aging water infrastructure. For frustrated customers, relief may finally be in sight—but it could still be years away.