After Meter Leak, Houston Man Gets $9K Water Bill

And the city is sticking by it, of course

In a court filing, Valera, who has owned his home since 2003, says he came home in February to find water bubbling up around the city meter on his property. A city inspector came out and advised Valera that the water was coming from his side of the the water meter so Valera had the leak fixed by a couple of plumber buddies. Should be a simple end, maybe a small charge for some extra water usage.

But the $9,000 bill was a bit much. Valera claims there was no standing water, no flooding that would cause usage of an alleged 719,000 gallons in February. As the court petition notes, that amount would fill 38 average-sized home swimming pools or cover the annual usage for 5.6 households in the city.