West Ashley residents raise concerns over water bill increase

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)–Many residents in the West Ashley community are raising concerns about high water bills.

Several residents said their bills have gone up significantly since the beginning of the year with little explanation. 

According to the Charleston Water System, they notified customers about an annual rate increase in January but said the impact on their monthly bills should’ve been minimal.

“This year, we raised water and sewer rates on average by about 6 percent, and that includes everyone from inside the city to the outside cities customers see a 2 or 3 full increase in their water or sewer service costs; what they should do is look at their usage,” said Mike Saia, the public information Administrator for the Charleston Water System. 

Customers said their usage hadn’t changed much, however the price change was significant. 

“It just surprised us when we saw it jump up that much. We had to look in it like I love to use water but not where it made sense to get to over 300 dollars that made zero sense to us,” said Elle Witouski, a West Ashley resident. 

Officials said other factors could cause the rates to fluctuate, such as whether you’re in the city or unincorporated areas. Still, a significant price jump should prompt further investigation because there could be an issue in the system.

“If your bill all of a sudden spikes to $200 or 300 dollars in a month, it’s not that we changed the rates, but it could mean your usage has changed, so look at your bill, call Charleston Water System, and have our folks look into your account and we’ll find out exactly where the water went like if it was lost to a leak or whether you used more,” said Saia.

If you have a leak in your system, please click the link below for more information.

https://www.charlestonwater.com