SAN ANTONIO -- Peggy Moore is prepared to pay the hefty cost of repairs for her water meter but she thinks the San Antonio Water System is responsible for the amount of water wasted while she waited for help to arrive Monday.
"I'm thinking, I am not going to pay it. I don't think I owe it. I think they owe me for being so irresponsible," Moore insisted.
The elderly woman said water started leaking Saturday from the meter, and she called SAWS and kept calling through the holiday weekend.
"I called again Monday, same thing," explained Moore. "I said, 'Do you realize we are in a water shortage?'"
Moore said a customer service representative suggested she or her 85 year old husband check the meter. She told us her husband is disabled and can't stoop down to the ground, which is why she called the utility for assistance.
“I hung up, and I was so upset, especially when I kept seeing gallons and gallons of water,” Moore told us.
SAWS says the problem is on the homeowners property, and she is expected to pay for the water use or what she considers water waste.
Wednesday morning, a SAWS worker put a tag on her door telling Moore her water would be shut off until the leak was fixed. Moore called a plumbing service and will spend about $500 to fix a faulty valve connected to her water line. But she does not intend to pay for the water that leaked for several days. She believes any overage in her bill is unacceptable.
Greg Flores with SAWS said the utility company will offer a discount when Moore sends a copy of her bill from the plumbing service as proof the leak was repaired.
