LA Couple Faces Nearly $10,000 Water Bill After Utility Meter Found Broken for Years

A retired Los Angeles nurse and her Vietnam War veteran husband have been presented with a nearly $10,000 water bill from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) after a utility meter at their home was found to be broken for approximately three years.

Joyce Howell, 82, and her husband, who have resided in their Los Angeles home since the 1960s, were recently informed of the substantial charge. The LADWP bill, covering water usage between February 2023 and March 2026, totaled more than $9,200.

Initially suspecting a leak, Howell's daughter contacted LADWP for clarification. A utility representative informed the family that the water meter had been non-operational for three years, meaning the couple had not been charged for their water consumption during that period. However, the representative stated that the Howells were still obligated to pay for the water they had used.

"You are coming at my parents that have dedicated their lives as family, people, decent community, good parents, and give them back to community, and then you come with them with this bill at the end of their lives," Howell's daughter told NBC Los Angeles, emphasizing that her elderly parents are on a fixed income and unable to earn additional money.

The daughter also questioned LADWP's oversight, stating that regular meter readings or checks should have detected the malfunction sooner. "They should have read the meter, and they should have had whoever the technician to come out on a monthly basis or whatever to see if the meter is being read or if it was broken or not," she said.

Joseph Ramallo, an LADWP official, acknowledged that while broken meters are rare given the utility's extensive network of approximately 700,000 water meters and 1.7 million electric meters, they do occur. He confirmed that the meter at the Howells’ 3,100-square-foot home had been inoperable for over three years. LADWP policy limits billing for past usage to a maximum of three years.

Ramallo stated that LADWP has a responsibility to bill for water used and that the utility is willing to work with customers on affordable payment terms. He added that the home's typical monthly water bill is just over $300. The utility has offered the Howells a long-term payment plan to manage the accrued charges.

Following media attention surrounding the case, LADWP reportedly reduced the couple's bimonthly payments from $360 to $100.