Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Billing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Old Sorrel Ranch residents press Cedar City over unexpectedly large water bills; staff points to billing cycle and meter rollout
Summary
Residents of Old Sorrel Ranch told the council their August bills more than doubled for at least 25 homes and reported air in lines and pressure problems. City staff said inconsistent billing cycles and in-home issues can explain spikes and that a full rollout of Neptune radio-read meters is scheduled to improve transparency.
Residents of the Old Sorrel Ranch subdivision told the Cedar City Council on Oct. 8 that many households received unusually high water bills for the billing cycle ending Aug. 31, and asked the city to investigate.
“Kelsey Wilson said: “Over 25 houses had seen bills more than doubled despite no changes in usage or behavior.” She and other residents also reported air in the lines and low, inconsistent pressure over the past two months.
City water staff responded that multiple causes can lead to apparent spikes. A staff technician explained that older meters with impellers can register air as flow, but the city has been replacing meters with ultrasonic Neptune devices that do not have impellers. Council members and staff also noted that an irregular billing period can push customers into higher tiers: one recent cycle that ended Aug. 31 covered 36 days instead of the typical ~30, adding days that can move usage into higher-rate tiers.
Matt (water operations staff) showed system pressure data for the feeder line and explained that much of the delivery to the affected neighborhood is upstream of the distribution tank; high velocities and pumps can create small air bubbles that reach customers. He and other staff also walked through common in‑home causes, such as clogged faucet strainers, malfunctioning pressure‑reducing valves (PRVs) at a house, stuck toilet flappers, or irrigation timers left at higher settings. Staff pointed to examples in the packet where hourly reads indicated continuous overnight usage consistent with a leak or a toilet problem.
Council members said the city has prioritized a meter‑replacement program this year: the council budgeted about $1,600,000 for the remaining meters and radio infrastructure, with a goal of giving customers app‑based hourly reads early next year so residents can monitor usage in real time. Staff recommended targeted diagnostics—remote hourly reads when possible, free water‑use checks, and localized tests—to determine whether an issue is in‑home or system‑wide. Several residents asked the city to investigate the billing cycle and to proactively notify households when a cycle is longer than 30 days.
No formal council action was taken on Oct. 8; staff said they will continue diagnostics and accelerate the Neptune meter rollout so customers will be able to view hourly data by early next year. The council closed public comment after the discussion and thanked residents for bringing details to the meeting.
