Marion addresses water bill issues

City clarifies no rate hike, points to higher use as cause of higher bills

ralphhardin@gmail.com Over the summer, several Marion residents took to social media to voice concerns over the month-tomonth increase of their water bills. The Marion Water Department has also seen an increase in calls to the department about the higher bills.

Last week, the city sent out a release in regards to the issue.

“There has been some controversy regarding the last water/sewer billing period,” said the release.

“Please know that there has been no increase in rates for water or sewer. An increase in your August bill could be caused by several factors.”

The message then listed a slate of possible reasons that some residents might have seen their water use go up over the past several months, such as:

• Quarantine = more people at home = increase in water usage

• Kids home for summer vacation

• Filling or topping off a swimming pool

• Usage of sprinklers

• Toilet leaks/dripping faucets “The City of Marion Water Department has upgraded your water meter,” the release went on to say. “As part of our ongoing efforts to improve services to our customers, we are now offering you direct and secure access to your water usage data. The City of Marion Water Department’s EyeOnWater suite of available tools will enable you to check your individual water usage at any time, helping you to gain greater understanding of water you use. The program also offers easy to understand graphs and the ability to establish alerts — including identifying potential leaks. You can now follow these steps to view your water usage on the web through www.eyeonwater.com:

• Visit www.eyeonewater.com

• Enter your billing account number (found on your bill)

• Enter your service area zip (72364)

• Click the ‘next’ button

• Enter your email address

• Create an account by confirming a password

• You’ll get a confirmation email from Beacon.

The release noted customers must verify their email address by clicking on the link in the conformation email.

“Once you do so,” read the release, “you can sign in.”