is MUD#58 high water bill legal ? (Houston, Victoria: home, neighborhood, closing)

[cheryjohns]

Could be a combo of everything mentioned:

Leak
Meter not read prior to your buying
Sprinklers over-watering

That's a really, really, really high bill - something is wrong

Have you asked your neighbors what their bills are running?

[RMMM]

I saw people painting the grass near Beltway 8. Maybe artificial grass will be cheaper?

[texsn95]

Originally Posted by ilikeme

How many gallons was the bill for? .

[dickelfan]

Have a very similar size house and yard to the original poster. I run our sprinkler for the yard every other day for maybe 10 min each zone, some less, some more depending on the area. I run the flower bed zone every day, but only for maybe 5 min. We just got our bill for the month and it was $85.

[quangp]

Also check the watering schedules of your sprinkler. My neighbor's timer was set by the builder and it turned out that it was set to run like 6 times a day

[Victorialu]

Originally Posted by elnina

^^^ I agree. OP, are you sure that the water meter was set on ZERO when you moved in?
Check the meter. Turn off everything for an hour and check the meter. This includes turning off automatic icemakers, water-softening systems, and automatic sprinkler systems, which may otherwise cycle on during the test.
For residential customers, your water meter displays water consumption down to a tenth of a gallon, providing you with some very accurate use information.
Calculating the amount you’re using is as simple as writing down the numbers from the readout, before and after an activity, and then subtracting. So, go to your water meter, open the lid, and write down the numbers from left to right, taking note that some of the numbers have a white background and some of the numbers have a black background. The numbers on the dial with a white background indicate 1000's of gallons. The numbers with a black background indicate hundreds, tens, and single digits. (You are billed only for each 1000 gallon of use. Your billing shows only the white digits.)
If everything is off and there is still movement, you have a leak.
Report back - if you have a leak, we will tell you how to detect leak.

you are right , i dont think the water meter set to ZERO when I moved in on July 1st 2015. who should set the meter to zero? the builder meritage home ? or the MUD#58 ? who I should count responsible for my wrong water bill? I think I paid the builder's water before closing date.
I moved to Houston to Phoenix AZ. we conserve water very much in AZ. thanks for all the good advise.

[cheryjohns]

Did you ever ask your neighbors what their bills are running?

[Houston321]

You may be getting billed for "commercial" use since the home was in the builder's name previously. I would check that.

[Htown2013]

Originally Posted by Victorialu

I just received my first water bill $470.48. holy high !
never had this high water bill in life.
we just moved here from another state. new to west lake at Katy TX. like to know MUD#58 NFBWA fee is legal?
$117.60 for NFBWA fee.
we have two people in my home 3300 sf (according to builder) one level and lot size is about 16000 sf according to builder Meritage Home.
builder construction manager set up my water timer to 15-25 minutes, total 7 zones. I hand wash dishes, once a week laundry. purchase water in cooking. my water bill in one month is more than my food cost. super high water bill from MUD#58! are they legal ?
also need your smart ideas how to reduce my water bill !
thanks

It's your sprinklers. I have 9 zones and run them 5 min each every other day and yard is green through anything.

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Originally Posted by Victorialu

you are right , i dont think the water meter set to ZERO when I moved in on July 1st 2015. who should set the meter to zero? the builder meritage home ? or the MUD#58 ? who I should count responsible for my wrong water bill? I think I paid the builder's water before closing date.
I moved to Houston to Phoenix AZ. we conserve water very much in AZ. thanks for all the good advise.

Your bill should give you a beginning and ending reading number so you can see how many gallons of water you used. Did it start at zero or not?