A couple in their 80s was left facing a water bill of more than $9,200 after the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said their household meter had been malfunctioning for roughly three years.
Joyce Howell, a former nurse, and her husband, a Vietnam War veteran, live on a fixed income, making the surprise charge especially difficult.
Here's what to know
Documents shared with NBC Los Angeles showed that Howell was not billed for water from February 2023 through March 2026. Because of that gap, LADWP billed the couple after concluding they had gone years without being properly charged for water.
The family began seeking answers after noticing changes in the bill. Those efforts eventually led to word from LADWP that the home's water meter had been malfunctioning for about three years.
For a household on a fixed income, the backbilling pushed the balance above $9,200. The couple's daughter questioned why the issue had not been caught sooner.
"You mean to tell me that we have to go back three years and pay that bill?" she said. "They should have read the meter, and they should have had whoever the technician to come out on a monthly basis or whatever to see if the meter is being read or if it was broken or not."
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The utility maintained that the water was still used, so the delayed billing does not erase the charge.
More background
Meter problems do occur across LADWP's large system, according to Joseph Ramallo, an LADWP official, who told NBC Los Angeles the agency oversees about 700,000 water meters and 1.7 million electric meters.
"In this case, it is unfortunate," Ramallo said. "However, we have a responsibility to all the rest of our customers because we're only funded by our customer rates and charges to collect a reasonable amount of time going back because that water was used and not paid for."
A little more than $300 a month is typical for water service at the couple's roughly 3,100-square-foot home, Ramallo said. Over three years, a lapse like that can quickly add up to a balance nearing five figures.
Rather than try to collect for every month a faulty meter may have gone bad, Ramallo said LADWP limits the look-back period to three years. At a little over $300 per month, that means earlier months outside that window are not being included in what the family is being asked to repay.
The couple's daughter said her parents had spent their lives giving back to their family and community and should not be dealing with a bill like this at this stage in their lives.
What's being done?
To soften the immediate impact, LADWP said it offered the family an extended payment plan rather than requiring more than $9,200 at once.
"If water is used, we have a responsibility to charge for it," Ramallo said. "And then to work with them under terms they can afford, looking backwards for up to three years."
Howell said her frustration centers on how long the malfunction went unaddressed, not on whether the water should be paid for.
"I have no problem paying the bill, but if it was not working, somebody should have done something," she told NBC Los Angeles.
Where can I learn more?
Other households have also faced confusing or steep water charges tied to utility billing practices.
• In Terry, Mississippi, a resident saw his water bill jump overnight from $28 to $179.
• In California, a homeowner cut usage, then learned summer tiers drove up the $637 charge.
• In Delaware, officials warned PFAS treatment costs could leave households facing sharply higher water bills.
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