COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia City Council met on Tuesday and approved funding for new water meters throughout the capital city.
Customers of the City of Columbia Water Department have been experiencing high bills in different areas across the community for years. Consuiela Dellbille is one of those customers, who says her bill is unusually high for the amount of people in her home.
"It's just 4 of us, and the bill is too high," Dellbille explained. "It's sometimes $200, $125, and this month it's $120."
Dellbille says she is unsure if it is an issue with her meter, but says a replacement may help with her bill.
"It might help, but I don't know. Maybe if people come out to look at it," she said.
By using $1 million worth of meter equipment, the city is trying to make all of the meters read digitally so issues can be reported immediately.
"We encourage people to download our app 'Eye on Water' because it tracks any abnormalities like a leak, that will get immediately reported to our team so your bill does not spike," said Clint Sheally, the Assistant City Manager of Water.
The newly purchased meters are going toward developments like new subdivisions in Columbia, and some will go toward replacing older meters that are due for upgrades or replacements.
The city says customers will start seeing the replacement meters over the course of the next year. Columbia Water has to wait for their equipment to be shipped from Denver before they begin installs.