Virginia Mendoza says she received a water bill around $1,000. She claimed a water leak was not her fault and did not pay the bill.
The city of Beaumont shut her water off on Monday and the billing and water issues were fixed on Thursday.
“Three days without water, it was horrible, is all I could say,” Mendoza said.
Her water worries started shortly after she lost her husband last year.
A commercial property the Mendoza family owns on Wall Street and Orange Avenue had a water leak last September, according to the city of Beaumont.
After the leak was fixed twice, Mendoza says her water bill increased by hundreds of dollars. Mendoza says she had automatic payments set up for the water in her home.
When she noticed the large sums, she refused to pay the bill after claiming the leak on the property was on the city’s side of the pipeline.
"I called and they said well it's because you owe $1,000 and something, I said, ‘what?’ I said, ‘how much was my bill in March? And she said, ‘$63 and a few cents.’ I was floored and flabbergasted," Mendoza said.
12News learned why her bill increased from an average of $60 to around $1,000.
Beaumont’s chief financial officer Todd Simoneaux says the leak on Mendoza’s residential property was reflected on her residential bill.
Simoneaux says he informed the water department of this mix-up and the water was turned back on Thursday.
Mendoza’s bill will also be fixed, Simoneaux said.
"I just didn't know what I was going to do, and then thank goodness someone stepped up, started talking and telling me what was going on," Mendoza said.
If you have had a similar water issue, you can call the city's water customer service department at 866-0023.