‘Their prices just got so high’: Union County residents upset over water bills

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Some Union County residents say their water bills jumped significantly recently while others say their bills are inconsistent and hard to predict.

Carrie McDonald and her husband have an irrigation system at their home. They have a small yard, and since they don’t have kids, it’s just the two of them.

“We’re so good about turning it off if it’s been raining or if we don’t need it,” she said.

McDonald says they do use more water in the summer, but their habits don’t vary enough to explain why their bills do.

Here are her last 10 bills from May 2021 to February 2022:

- $246

- $256

- $237

- $284

- $277

- $417

- $359

- $177

- $115

- $112

“Their prices just got so high,” McDonald said. “Even if I’m not the worst example of these charges, obviously there are other people who are concerned about it.”

Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke found people with similar issues on social media.

One person wrote, “This is getting ridiculous!!!” Another said, “This is 2x more than I have ever used … Something is off.” Another commented, “I dipped into my savings acct! I’m retired!”

McDonald and others say they checked for leaks and for problems with their meter.

Stoogenke shared these posts with Union County Water and asked if there is an issue or glitch of some sort. Utility officials said they would look into it.

Union County Water emailed Channel 9 the following statement:

“At Union County Water we value honesty and transparency. Increasing customer engagement and education are among our top priorities. We strongly encourage our customers to contact us directly with their specific issues so that we can work toward a resolution. Customers can contact us at water@unioncountync.gov or 704-296-4210. On-call service is available 24 hours per day for emergency situations. As we work to address customer issues and monitor usage, we will investigate any outstanding trends to proactively manage potential areas of concern.”

Here’s what you should know about any utility bills:

- Find out who runs the utility: a company, a co-op, or the government, which is the case in Union County.

- If it’s run by a company, you can complain to the North Carolina Utilities Commission. If you lose, you can even appeal to the state court of appeals.

- If it’s run by a co-op or the government, the commission has very little authority.

- Co-op customers can complain to the Rural Electrification Authority.

- Government customers can complain to the utility and the elected officials who oversee it.

According to Stoogenke, these cases can be very hard to win.

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