An Orange County resident, Annika Martin, is contesting a hefty $4,400 water bill from Pluris Water Company, which she believes is the result of a glitch in the system. As reported by WFTV, Martin claims she was mostly away from her Wedgefield home in June when her water meter recorded usage levels equivalent to filling a hot tub every hour for an entire month. The bill reflects an abnormal increase, jumping from zero to ten gallons per hour to 250 gallons.
Despite being away and having two out of three toilets shut off, the bill presented to Martin seemed unrealistic. Her subsequent actions included contacting Pluris at the onset of July about the abnormal readings, yet the high usage stopped a mere seventeen hours later, leading to suspicion about the legitimacy of the readings. In response to Martin's plight, Pluris tested the meter twice, declaring it functional. According to WFTV, "It is interesting that the excessive usage stopped the day after the customer was notified," said Beverly Yopp, a spokeswoman for Pluris, shining a light on the curious timing of the events.
In a contrasting act of concession, the water company has offered a reduced bill of $1,800 by dropping Martin's usage to the lowest cost tier and proposing a payment plan. However, Martin remains firm that she should pay only her normal amount, stating to ClickOrlando, "The only acceptable thing is to adjust my bill to what it normally is, and I'll pay it." With her water service at risk of being shut off, the stress is palpable as she takes care of her grandfather and a recovering significant other.
