He is scrupulous about the water usage of his household of four in Berkeley. Two years ago, he insulated his home to make it more energy efficient and added drought-tolerant plants to his front yard.
This is why he was surprised to open his water bill in October to find charges more than 300% higher than what he normally pays.
“That’s ridiculous,” he remembers thinking to himself. “I don’t think we consume water excessively.”
The East Bay Municipal District said Hayashi, who lives in a single-family home with his wife and two children, used 1,614 gallons of water a day over a two-month period, a 736% increase from compared to his previous invoice.
Over the next two months, Hayashi’s shock was lessened by the Kafkaesque journey he took to protest what he insists was a mistake on EBMUD’s part. , a mistake that highlights how long some homeowners are being forced to cut excessive utility charges. It also comes at a time when, in an effort to compel residents to conserve water, EBMUD has made a habit of publicly shaming and penalizing customers for effusive water use.
Hayashi was not on previous EBMUD excessive usage lists, and his water usage for his recent bill was below the threshold, which is about 1,646 gallons per day, spokesperson Andrea Pook said. of the utility company.
“It took me a little while to figure out how much water they were claiming I was using,” Hayashi, 49, said. “We’re talking about a ridiculous amount of water here.”
After receiving his water bill, Hayashi said he documented his water usage on a spreadsheet for four weeks and hired a leak inspection specialist – as EBMUD told him to. do it, he said – only to find his house had no water. leak.
Hayashi said the leak inspection specialist encouraged him to lie to EBMUD about a leak – better to falsely admit there is a leak and hope for financial forgiveness from the utility , rather than continuing to fight the bill.
The specialist told him that the route “has always worked for our clients”.
Hayashi said he lied to EBMUD and was offered a $411 discount, less than the amount he paid for the leak inspection service. When he went to EBMUD, he said, they told him that was the only discount they could offer.
“I found myself in a worse situation than when I started,” Hayashi said.
He says he complained to the leak inspection company, who offered him a discount.
After exhausting his options, Hayashi said he hoped to find a “reasonable solution” with his neighbors by sharing his experience on NextDoor. The post received more than 100 comments from many who said they had experienced similar scenarios, with some urging him to inform elected officials or sue the utility company.
“At the end of the day, it’s not even about the money,” he said. “It’s a question of principles. I can pay if I want, but it’s unjustified.
Pook, the EBMUD spokesman, told The Chronicle they work with customers who have expressed concerns about high bills by helping them identify a leak. Customers can also request water audits “to help them understand their water use,” she said.
She said bills from August to October are usually the highest because they are the hottest months of the year in the region, which often leads to increased outdoor watering.
Other reasons for receiving a high water bill include a faulty irrigation timer or meter, water theft, having more occupants in a home, new fixtures or bathrooms, spending more time at home or leaking toilets, which are common, according to the EMBUD website. According to EBMUD, one in four households report having a toilet leak, which can waste more than 200 gallons of water per day. The utility company has a webpage that guides customers on how to accurately read their water meters and identify any leaks in their home.
EBMUD meter readers notify customers of “suspicious” readings by leaving door hangers with leak information, Pook said. Customers also receive automated alerts via voicemail, text, email or print.
“Depending on staff availability, EBMUD may also contact customers suspected of major leaks by phone,” she said.
If customers with high bills can identify a leak and are able to prove it has been fixed, they can receive a 50% credit on their bill, Pook said.
However, there have been rare cases, Pook said, in which a customer is hit with a high bill and they can’t prove they have a leak – which could be a case of water theft.
“Things happen, don’t they? Nothing is perfect,” she said.
Hayashi said none of these issues apply to him, as far as he knows.
Pook declined to comment on Hayashi’s case due to privacy concerns, but said EBMUD was working with him. She said her next official meter reading, due in early December, “will help shed some light on the situation.”
“It doesn’t matter if they say there was a leak or not, if water was used, even though they can’t show exactly how the water was used, there are instances where he might be eligible for a credit on his bill,” she said.
Hayashi expressed disappointment and questioned EBMUD’s system for reading water meters.
“Before they can make this accusation and claim that some of their customers are abusing this limited resource, I would wonder if they have a proper system in place to monitor water usage and warn people at good time,” he said.
He believes this issue may also impact other customers.
“I happen to be able to afford it, but I imagine there are a lot of people out there (where) a $1,300 ticket is a major hit.”
Jessica Flores (her) is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
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