An official is calling for scrutiny of the water meter system in The Villages after complaints of unexplained usage spikes by residents.
Village of Gilchrist resident Dan Warren, a director on the North Sumter County Utility Dependent District Board, on Monday afternoon called for an investigation into complaints from residents, including William “B.J.” Thompson of the Village of Mallory Square, who last month reported an unexplained surge in water usage at his home. Thompson has collected similar stories from residents.
Warren said he isn’t buying into the District’s insistence that the unexplained spike in usage was caused by something such as a “leaky toilet.” He said the data he studied doesn’t support that interpretation.
“Something else is wrong,” Warren said.
Villager Ken Knodel described an incident with a meter reader that caused him to raise an eyebrow.
“He had to take the lid off the box and jiggle the wires to read the meter,” Knodel said.
He said it’s an indication there is an issue with the meters.
“The ironic part is that it goes back to a normal reading after a large spike. There’s something wrong with the meter,” Knodel sad.
He challenged NSCUDD board directors to ride along with a meter reader, who are seen traveling throughout The Villages in blue golf carts that indicate they work for utility provider Jacobs.