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Roswell officials praise crews after multi-break water emergency; resident disputes 50,000-gallon bill
Summary
City staff told the council crews repaired a large 24-inch break and a string of mains after 14 breaks in one day; a resident testified that a recent bill showed 50,000 gallons used and asked for meter verification and a formal dispute process.
The Roswell City Council on Monday heard a detailed account from the city's safety liaison about an intensive water-department response after a wave of main breaks that left parts of the city with interrupted service.
"On April 16th, we had quite a day a day and a night. 14 main breaks throughout the city that day occurred," Michael Victorious told the council, describing crews' work to locate and repair multiple failures, including a large 24-inch line found under the New Mexico Department of Transportation yard. Victorious said crews used hydro-vac operations to uncover the line because a gas line ran overhead and that the major break was repaired and returned to service in less than 12 hours.
Victorious gave the council several system facts: the city maintains roughly 349 miles of water mains serving about 49,000 residents, with distribution pipe ages ranging from 1913 to 2024. He told the council crews worked around the clock, in some cases 24 to 36 hours, and emphasized safety measures such as harnesses and lifelines when crews entered trenches.
Councilors publicly recognized the water and fire crews. Councilor Dawson praised the response and the stamina of staff who "were dead tired" but stayed on the job to restore service.
During public participation, resident Angela Via said her household received a bill showing roughly 50,000 gallons of use from March 15 to April 15 — more than 10 times her typical monthly consumption — and asked the council to improve how the utility verifies unusually large reads and handles disputes. "When customers report concerns and are quickly told the issue is on their side without detailed analysis, meter verification, or follow-up, it gives the impression that the responsibility is being shifted away from the system and onto residents," Via said.
Water staff reported that I-Tron meter reads showed continuous activity at the property and that a PSI (pressure) test and further meter checks were planned; councilors urged follow-up and said options such as a meter replacement would be considered if necessary.
Councilors and staff framed the two items as separate but related: the April infrastructure failures highlighted aging distribution assets and emergency workload for crews, while individual billing anomalies prompted a request for clearer verification procedures and better customer communications.
The council did not take an immediate policy vote on billing appeals Monday but directed staff to investigate Via's case and return with findings and next steps.
