CHARLOTTE, N.C -- An audit of 9,000 water meters got under way today in Mecklenburg County.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities has hired an independent company called Vanguard to inspect the meters and try to determine if bad equipment is to blame for an unusually high number of spikes in customer's water bills.
"It will go a long way to build confidence in the system and give us information that we didn't have before, and we feel this is a positive step," said CMU spokesperson Vic Simpson.
Crews from Vanguard checked homes first along Finchley Drive off of Eastway Drive.
They opened boxes and checked the meters and the electronic transmitters that send billing information to meter readers.
Earlier this year, CMU heard from hundreds of customers about unusually high bills.
One of those complaints came from Dora Smith, who lives on Finchley Drive.
As her meter was checked, Smith recounted how her bill had gone up from around $200 a month to $1,100. She said CMU was not always helpful when she called to complain.
Auditors are using handheld devices to check to make sure the meters and transmitters are working properly.
"We download (the information) into our system and then we take a look at that and try to make some analysis and make some determination as to what follow-up actions need to occur," said Regina Dobson Cousar from CMU.
The audit is expected to take about seven weeks to complete. CMU is hoping for some early results in early June.
Dora Smith knows what she would like to see as a result. "My water bill to go back down," she said.
