POWELL, Tenn. — State investigators are looking into high water bills customers of the Hallsdale-Powell Utility District are paying.
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office said it is looking into concerns raised by homeowners who have complained about the utility district’s high rates for several years. Many people in the area said the cost is getting too high to keep living there.
According to Move.org, a group researching utility rates across the country, Tennessee’s average water bill lands at about $45 a month. However, Hallsdale-Powell Utilities customers have complained about billed water usage that has exponentially fluctuated in the last year.
Kathy Myers is one of dozens of Hallsdale-Powell Utility District customers complaining about billed water usage.
“It’s really high for just one person. I am the only person who lives at my house,” she said. “And I don’t do laundry but every three weeks. So, I mean, it’s a little high for that ... My son lives in Powell and the last water bill he got was $140 just for him and his wife. My neighbors complain all the time. She said hers was $150."
State investigators said Hallsdale-Powell loses almost half the water it sources. The district is $167 million in debt. The general manager said the company must charge higher rates to fix the utility district’s problems.
Investigation findings will be reported back to the comptroller's office and that's when the board will form recommendations to get the company operating efficiently.