Some East Bay residents got a dose of sticker shock recently when seeing their latest water bills, many saying their rates doubled. And it has become a battle of we said, they said.
The city said people here are using more water, but many residents said its not usage going up, just their bills.
Resident Barbara Cunningham said her water bill is "absolutely ridiculous." She's not alone. A Pleasanton NextDoor site shows more than a hundred residents who say their bill shot up by as much as 100 percent from two months ago.
"I mean, we don't feel like we can water our yard properly and take care of things the way they should be," Cunningham said.
The city of Pleasanton said water bills have gone up. It said local water provider Zone 7 raised its rates in January. But city officials said customers also are using more water.
"(Some) started watering a bit more and didn't focus on conservation," said Kathleen Yurchak, director of operations for the city. "And so we saw an increase in total water consumption throughout the city."
Bob Kruzner said his bill went up even as his usage stayed steady.
Local
"For most of us, we continued to save," he said, adding that for the most part he used 6-8 units. "Then I get my bill and see 15 units and i'm like wait a minute, i didn't water any differently."
Zone 7, the water provider, declined to comment but did provide documents showing the rate increase since January.
