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Old Sorrel Ranch residents press city over doubled water bills, staff points to meter and system issues
Summary
Residents of Old Sorrel Ranch told the Cedar City Council that dozens of homes saw water bills more than double during an August billing period; city staff said transmission-line air, billing-cycle length and upcoming meter upgrades are the likely causes and pledged further diagnostics and consumer tools.
Kelsey Wilson told the Cedar City Council on Oct. 8 that more than 25 homes in Old Sorrel Ranch experienced sudden, unexplained jumps in water bills for the billing cycle ending Aug. 31 — a cycle she said ran 36 days rather than the standard 30 — and that some households reported low pressure and air in lines for months.
"Our community is simply asking for transparency, accountability, and a fair consistent billing system," Wilson said, noting one household had similar spikes in a prior year and that plumbers could not find leaks.
Staff water operations manager Matt (introduced in the meeting) told the council the city is seeing air in lines in summer when four large wells run at high velocity through the 20-inch transmission line serving the area. That flow can create tiny bubbles that reach homes before reaching the system tank, he said, and he showed pressure readings from the Westview Drive PRV station.
City staff also acknowledged billing-cycle variability can push homeowners into higher tiered rates when a cycle is longer than 30 days. "With August being 36 (days), that really (can) push you into the higher tier," a council member said during the discussion. Staff said the city is accelerating replacement of residential meters with Neptune electronic meters and associated radios so customers will be able to view near-real-time usage on an app; staff estimated that functionality will be available by early next year.
Residents described a range of experiences: some said their highest-usage day on record occurred when they were out of town; others reported consistent hourly usage that staff suggested likely indicates a leak (for example, a toilet fill valve). City staff walked attendees through hourly-use charts and recommended basic household checks (inspect toilets and faucet filters) while promising to continue troubleshooting.
Councilmembers and staff recommended next steps: publish a public-notice and application of new diagnostic tools once the Neptune meters talk to the system, offer free irrigation "water checks" with the water district to verify sprinkler output, and allow residents to present data to the city's technicians so staff can isolate whether a leak is private property or the city system. Staff said they would prioritize diagnosing the Old Sorrel issues and provide more detailed hourly-read data when the new meters are online.
The meeting did not produce a council vote on remedies; councilmembers characterized the item as a substantive discussion and requested continued follow-up from staff.
Ending: Staff said they will continue diagnostics, pursue the accelerated meter program, and return with any proposed remedies or policy options once they have more complete meter data and test results.
