I'll send the bill right back': Detroit family warning others after nearly mistakenly charged for using 700 gallons of water a night

DETROIT - A Detroit family was told they may be charged for using 700 gallons of water a day - when they say they've never used that much. They reached out to Local 4 for help and the city is telling us they won't be billed, but the city wants to make sure people understand what options are available to them if they end up in a similar situation.

Detroit woman Crystal Botten doesn't use much water a day, mostly for sink water and laundry twice a week. She's never had issues and she didn't think much of it until the city called a few weeks ago and said she was using 700 gallons a day.


 He said,  How much do you think that's gonna be?' I said,  I was thinking, roughly, about $700 or $800. And he was like,  no way' and I would have sent that bill right back to them,  Botten said, recalling a conversation with her husband about the billing issue.

For more than two decades, Botten and her family have called their Detroit house home.

 Approximately around $120, the highest, probably about $220,  Botten said.

A typical bill for them is predictable. Their water use is usually steady, month after month.

A few weeks ago, the calls started coming from the city's Department of Water and Sewerage.

 I kept getting these voicemails on my phone and they kept saying,  You're using 700 gallons of water and I was like,  wait a minute, this doesn't sound right. How?' A night,  Botten said.

After a few missed voicemails, she called the customer service line. They told her the water was leaking inside the home and in the early hours of the morning.

 A leak? I said,  It can't be.' I said,  Ma'am, I walked around my whole entire home, from the back to the side, to the basement - I have no water leak.' And then she said,  well, hold on.' She comes back to the phone and said,  are you washing too much?' I said,  I only wash twice a week,'  she said.

Eventually, they told her it was likely an issue with her meter.

The meter was replaced, but one big qu

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