The water utility is claiming my mother used 151,000 gallons of water?
Q: The water utility is claiming my mother used 151,000 gallons of water this month. This is an absurd number, what evidence should we gather to dispute this bill? You may need to learn how to read your water meter. The bill from the utility would probably show readings at the beginnings and end of the period, with some factor used to multiply the reading change to get gallons. The volume 151,000 gallons is high, but it is equivalent to an entirely possible 3.5 gallons per minute. Read the meter one day, and then again a few days later. You should then be able to calculate gallons recorded over that time period. How does it compare? Does it suggest that the same high flow is continuing? What if there is a break in her line after the meter? That could achieve that volume. Can you do the same reading test with your mother not living there, and purposely shutting off all water? Will the meter still have the high reading?