A water bill spike shocked a Beaufort Co. family. Here’s how you can monitor yours.

Ashley Averill is awaiting her family’s next water bill, waiting to see if there is another surprise.

The St. Helena Island resident opened a recent bill to see a staggering number.

Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority said she used about 41,000 gallons during the most recent billing period — enough to fill a couple of large above-ground swimming pools. Averill said the family typically uses 4,000 to 5,000 gallons. The bill that followed was five times what the family normally pays.

The potential reasons for the spike are a mystery to her and the utility.

“We do not know why the reading spiked since we were not at the location,” company spokeswoman Pamela Flasch said. “All we know is water traveled through the meter causing the meter to spin. “

Flasch suggested a running toilet could have been the cause.

Averill said she is not aware of any leaks at her home on Glover Road. She said she checked under the house multiple times and followed a utility representative’s instructions to check for a leak in the toilet by pouring a dark liquid into the top of the tank but that no leak was detected.

BJWSA reads meters by sending a radio signal to each meter from a truck driving down the street, according to the utility. The meter responds with water usage data, which is stored in a computer until a customer’s bill is printed.

An authority representative initially told Averill she was responsible for the reading and that there was nothing to be done, Averill said. While she waited to see whether the next reading remains high, she paid her $111 bill — up from a typical charge of about $20.

“There’s not much you can do — you have to have water,” Averill said. “Unfortunately they have a lot of people’s hands tied when it comes to things like this.”

After a reporter asked about Averill’s case, Flasch said since Averill’s usage returned to normal the next cycle, the company gave her “a courtesy adjustment,” lowering the high bill to her four-month average usage.

Additionally, the utility will will install a new device that will allow Averill to track her usage, Flasch said.

The new meters allowing customers to check their usage in real time online or via a phone application are being rolled out to replace aging meters, Flasch said. About 24,000 of the devices have been installed so far, of the utility’s 55,000 customers.

Some Sun City residents reported similar spikes last year. In lieu of one of the new meters, one resident said he had instituted his own water auditing system to compare to his bill.

This story was originally published October 25, 2018 at 1:32 PM.