Many Muskogee Residents See Spike In Water Bills After Extreme Winter Weather

After last month’s winter weather, some in Muskogee said their water bills have spiked by hundreds of dollars. They say it's due to water line breakages in homes across the city.

Chasity Jones is looking at a $450 water bill, which is four times more expensive than she's used to.

"I was just like wow, like I just couldn't believe it. That's just outrageous," Jones said.

She said a burst pipe on her property caused by freezing weather is to blame, and said she isn't left with many options other than paying the high-priced bill.

"I'm not saying that it can't be paid but you know, is there some kind of help [they] could do? This was beyond our control," Jones said.

Jones isn't the only one with this problem. Others said they are facing water bills as high as $1,000.

Muskogee City Manager Mike Miller said the city can help her and anyone else with the same issue in other ways.

"If you have a service line leak and you have a licensed plumber come out and work on your service line in the ground outside your home, we can reduce your water bill correspondingly," Miller said.

Miller said the city is responsible for any water up to the customer's meter. Anything that breaks beyond that point is up to the landowner to fix.

"We understand that the water you used during that timeframe was because of this leak, you took steps on your end to make sure that leak goes away, and we're willing to reduce your bill for that," Miller said.

Miller said the city will work with people on payment plans, so they don’t get stuck with a bill they have to pay all at once.

You can click here to find out how to opt-into city water payment and alert programs.