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Electronic meter readers lead to billing problem for PWSA customers in Millvale

MILLVALE, Pa. — Hundreds of Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority customers in Millvale have not received bills for six months, adding up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in uncollected bills.

The PWSA’s Interim Executive Director David Donahoe told Target 11 that the problem began when electronic meter readers were installed at the same time that a new billing system was implemented. %

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The PWSA was unable to integrate the two systems.

“I don't think they planned the project out as thoroughly as they should have or could have,” Donahoe said. “One of the answers to deal with that was to stop billing in certain areas, I think with the thought that these problems could be easily resolved, and that simply wasn't the case.”

With 1,700 customers in Millvale with an average monthly water bill of $54, uncollected bills have totaled more than $500,000.

“It's frustrating. And when you call, you get the run-around,” Tina Suwalski said.

Despite not being billed, water service has not been impacted for Millvale residents like Suwalski. But it’s still an inconvenience.

“If I ran my business the way PWSA runs theirs, I would have been out of business a long time ago,” Ed Charters said.

Charters owns about 50 rental units, many of which are in Millvale. His tenants have not received bills since October, and he and others are concerned about issues that could arise from the PWSA problem.

“If you have a water leak that may have happened in November, you have no way of knowing this because you've not seen a water bill. But your usage could be doubled, tripled, quadrupled,” Anita Wienand, a property manager, said.

Donahoe, who became PWSA’s interim executive director after the previous director was let go in the wake of other billing problems, said he hopes bills will be sent out again to Millvale residents starting in May.

“We will start billing on 45 day cycles so that people aren't greatly impacted by past due amounts,” he said.