Investigates

Man takes PWSA to court over thousand dollar water bill

PITTSBURGH — A man who said he was improperly billed over $1,000 by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority turned down a deal today that would have cut the bill in half.

“I said no deal,” Adam Rosenberg said. “They are going to have a hearing in February and we will see what happens then.”

At a hearing Tuesday, the PWSA offered to slash Rosenberg’s bill unless a test of his water meter showed it was in good working condition. If that were the case, Rosenberg would have to pay the entire amount.

He said the PWSA already tested his meter and said it was not working properly, so he’s now headed to court.

Target 11 uncovered widespread billing issues with the PWSA. For some customers like Rosenberg, they’ve been in a battle with PWSA for nearly a year now.

Rosenberg lives in Florida and said his Pittsburgh house sits empty most days, so there’s no way he’s used all that water. He claims that earlier in November the PWSA offered to reduce his bill if he didn’t go to the media.

In 2013, 133 PWSA customers requested hearings to dispute their bills.

That number rose to 143 in 2014.

Last year, the number skyrocketed to 281, likely because of the widespread and highly publicized billing problems. So far, 81 customers were successful in getting reductions.

“It’s a rigorous process that should be so easy,” Rosenberg said. “It’s just a utility. It’s just water.”

Rosenberg’s trial is set for Feb. 7. He has made payments every month so his water doesn’t get shut off.