ATLANTA — The city of Atlanta will soon start to shut off customers' water in the coming weeks if your account is well overdue. It’s happening as the city faces more than $1 million worth of unpaid bills.
However, the shutoffs won’t happen all at once.
“A lot of people got misled when the mail said, 'No, we’re not going to shut the water off.' And a lot of people thought they didn’t have to pay the bill,” Atlanta resident Ruffin Boddie said.
Boddie adds his 90-year-old family member is among the residents who decided to not pay their water bill for years.
"His bill that way up to around $4,000 to $5,000 and I got with the people here and they went ahead and worked a good deal out for us," Boddie said.
The people being referred to are the city of Atlanta watershed management department. They recently announced they are ending a 12-year moratorium on cutting water service to those with past due accounts, and Boddie said he understands why.
“They have to because people have been abusing it for a while even I let it get out of hand with me,” Boddie said.
According to watershed, the outstanding accounts add up to more than $1.2 million in unpaid water bills spread out across more than 20,000 customers. And, while many understand the need to pay for water they used, others worry they may be cut off while dealing with service issues.
“My bill was $50 one time then it come back the next month and it went to $128 and so they keep telling me I got a leak,” Atlanta resident Larry Keepler said.
Keepler added he has checked for leaks but hasn’t found any, yet his water bill keeps increasing.
“I’m kind of worried because I go to work every day and I can come home in the water off I’m a bed how am I going to eat?" he asked. "I’m gonna cook and stuff."
Officials tell 11Alive if you have a leak in your property, it is your responsibility to fix it -- but they will work with you once the leak is repaired if you can show proof of those repairs. Officials also said they will notify you before shutting your water off.
11Alive received the following statement about the upcoming disconnections:
The Department of Watershed Management has more than 20,000 delinquent accounts that are currently at risk of disconnection. Disconnections will be a gradual process that will take place over the next several months. Disconnections are not imminent for this week, as we continue to engage the community and account holders surrounding options for payment compliance.