NOT GOOD ENOUGH: Douglas Shire community members bewildered, frustrated as water bills soar
HIGH BILLS
Douglas ratepayers have again taken Council to task over its recently installed smart water meters, questioning their reliability, accuracy and even going so far as suggesting a ‘class action’ to have bills that they believe have been overcharged, repaid.
Many customers have again complained they’re being charged for water usage well above their normal amounts – and even when they’re absent from their homes or during times when water was cut off by Douglas Shire Council because of supply issues or repairs.
Despite further reassurances from Council and Mayor Michael Kerr that the smart meters are reliable, have been installed correctly and are reading accurately, Council has at the same time sent Newsport some detail of meters it’s had to replace and repair – showing that the new smart meter system is much less than perfect.
More contention over smart meters - comments from Douglas Shire residents
In the latest water saga, several ratepayers complained their bills were higher than they should have been.
“My water bill is really high so I decided to get access to the ‘smart meter’ to start checking,” one resident posted.
“Last week we had no water here at Wonga from Saturday to Thursday late afternoon.
"However my water bill has only given me nearly 3 full days of no water and I ‘supposed’ have used lots of water on the other days. I’m still waiting for a phone back from council to explain this.”
“Has anyone else's water rates gone through the roof?” another asked. “Ours have doubled - seen other posts where people's have tripled?”
Steady stream of complaints - from Douglas Shire residents
The questions and comments had been steadily building over about a two to three week period.
“It certainly feels dodgy as everyone’s bill has gone up so much. My average for the past three months is 500ltrs a day. Pretty amazing!!”
“Had messages re leak, checked multiple times all taps off metre not running and received a water bill yesterday for just over $4,000 !!!!! I don’t even know where to start with it.”
“We haven't used the irrigation since October. Plus over 2wks combined of no water at all. This is our highest bill ever. Makes absolutely no sense and we are most definitely getting robbed.
“Send an email to the council.”
“Most of the shire has experienced higher water usage. There must be a problem. The Smart meters aren’t that reliable.”
“So why don’t we all complain and request a discount for the inconvenience of no water for such a long period. It’s absolutely disgusting.”
Council response: some problems with meters
We put a series of questions about the latest water meter issues to Council and received a response from Mayor, Michael Kerr. (The full Q & A is below this article).
Notably, while Council is standing by its statements that the overall switch to smart meters was the right thing to do – it has admitted that there have been problems with some meters since installations were started.
“Since March 2022 we have received 85 smart water meter fault investigation requests received from the public,” Mayor Michael Kerr said.
“Nine meters were replaced and 17 service repairs were conducted,” he added. “A further 13 enquiries are still under investigation.
“We currently have 4185 metres across the Shire.”
Meters respond to water and air pressure
We asked if Council is confident that the smart meters are working properly and if they accurately register the correct amount of water used so that ratepayers aren't being charged for water they did not use – to which the response was ‘yes’.
“Due to recent disaster events the water network is having to repressurise each time water is returned to the network and this may result in movement of air or water passing through the meter,” Mayor Michael Kerr said.
“All water meters are designed to register any pressurised flow through the device.
“Water charges for the 2023/24 financial year are $1.70 per kilolitre. We estimate air flow through the device would be significantly less than this figure.”
Ratepayers wait for answers - comments from local residents
Some ratepayers have directly asked Council for explanations as to why their water bills have increased, without apparent higher usage.
“I have emailed Council and am not going to pay this until I get a good explanation. Like many of the other posts, there are only 2 of us here and I am away for work a lot. There are no leaks. Haven't had to water the garden or fill the pool obviously. Haven't washed any cars, haven't pressure cleaned any of the mould away due to water restrictions...”
“Its not right, it's never been right, it hasn't been right for years and until we all stand up they will keep ripping locals off on every level in Port.”
“Will let you know what they say.”
Newsport is also interested to know if any readers have received refunds from Douglas Council for unused water, or any other rebates or similar.
--
Newsport questions to Council, and responses from Mayor Michael Kerr:
Newsport: Does Council stand by its smart water meters? Are they reliable?
Michael Kerr: Council stands by the reliability of its smart water meters. The meters are industry-proven technology used by numerous councils throughout Queensland. They are a verified water metering device.
NP: Are you confident that the smart meters are working properly and ACCURATELY register the correct amount of water used so that ratepayers aren't being charged for water they did not use?
MK: Yes. The meters provide daily information on water consumption that can be accessed both by customers and Council. The information has allowed us to provide leak alerts to customers.
Due to recent disaster events the water network is having to repressurise each time water is returned to the network and this may result in movement of air or water passing through the meter. ALL water meters are designed to register any pressurised flow through the device.
Water charges for the 2023/24 financial year are $1.70 per kilolitre. We estimate air flow through the device would be significantly less than this figure.
NP: Are some ratepayers not familiar with how they are billed for water, and do more ratepayers need to be made clearly aware of the differences between the old billing and meter system and the new?
MK: We encourage all residents to register for MiWater by following the links within Council’s website Water Management - Douglas Shire Council
The online portal allows a customer to track their daily (and even hourly) water usage and costs and advises customers when there’s a leak at their property.
As soon as you are registered you are able to view water usage patterns since the smart meter was installed to see unusual spikes in usage.
Refer below for an example of some reports that can be issued by MiWater once you register:
- High water usage October/November 2023 dry period.
2. Residents absent for a period:
NP: If Council is satisfied with the correct installation of the smart meters and their reliability, why are there so many people complaining they have discrepancies between their water usage and their bills?
MK: Underground water leaks detected by the smart meters have seen some residents experience an unexpected increase in water usage. Residents are reminded that the latest water invoices cover usage from early October when usage was high due to very dry conditions. Residents should e-mail [email protected] if they have any issues with their bill after they have analysed their usage via MiWater.
Council staff are available to assist with any water enquiries including MiWater registration at Mossman Administration Building. If the request is for a technical officer to attend onsite, a fee is applicable.
Since March 2022 we have received 85 smart water meter fault investigation requests received from the public. Nine meters were replaced and 17 service repairs were conducted.
A further 13 enquiries are still under investigation.
We currently have 4185 metres across the Shire.
NP: Is Council satisfied that the smart meter water investment will 'pay off' in the long term? (In WA the Water Corporation believes it will never see a return on investment from a roll-out of smart water meters, with one of the problems being that the water saved will never pay off the extra cost of the meter in the life of the meter.)
MK: Around three thousand leaks have been identified in the customer network and fixed since the introduction of smart meters in 2022 reducing the costs to Council and customers. Any initiative which saves water is a worthwhile investment.
Support public interest journalism
Help us to continue covering local stories that matter. Please consider supporting below.
Got a news tip?
Send a news tip or submit a letter to the Newsport Editor here.
Comments
Comments are the opinions of readers and do not represent the views of Newsport, its staff or affiliates. Reader comments are moderated before publication to promote valuable, civil, and healthy community debate. Visit our comment guidelines if your comment has not been approved for publication.
