By Sarah Nagem

snagem@salisburypost.com

EAST SPENCER — Jamilla Kennedy got angry when she opened her latest water bill.

The East Spencer resident owes $171.94 this month, she said. And Kennedy doesn't believe she and the five young children in her house could have possibly used that much water.

Mayor Erma Jefferies said the town has heard from about half a dozen residents who say their water bills have increased recently.

Kennedy voiced her concerns to the town's Board of Aldermen during its meeting Monday.

The complaints come in the midst of a huge water system overhaul in the town.

In July, workers began replacing old, leaky waterlines throughout East Spencer.

While the project will help the town — bad pipes waste water and money — many residents might see a jump in their water bills, said John Sofley, management services director for Salisbury.

East Spencer buys water from Salisbury.

Workers are replacing residents' water meters as part of the project. Many of the old meters didn't work properly and registered too-low water usages, Sofley said.

So some people's bills reflected a lower water usage than was accurate, he said.

"There's no doubt that there will be some customers whose meters were replaced who will pay a higher amount now," Sofley said.

East Spencer residents already pay more for water and sewer services than Salisbury residents.

Town leaders set the rates.

In East Spencer, homeowners pay $6.14 per 748 gallons of water and $7.37 per 748 gallons of sewage.

Salisbury's rates are much lower. There, residents pay $3.08 per 748 gallons of water and $4.15 per 748 gallons of sewage.

The average family of four uses about 9,000 gallons of water each month, said Clara Bost, customer services supervisor for Salisbury.

A family of four in Salisbury pays an average of $94.85 for water and sewer, Bost said.

In East Spencer, she said, a family of four pays an average of $172.12.

After the project is completed in February, Jefferies said, the town might reconsider water and sewer rates.

Her bill has increased, too, Jefferies said.

She said she called a plumber and realized her new water meter was the culprit. Her old meter apparently registered less water than was actually being used.

Kennedy said her water bill has fluctuated. In June, she paid $96.48.

It went up to $212.47 in August, she said.

The decrease since then to this month's $172 doesn't offer Kennedy much relief.

"That's still pretty high to me," she said.

Kennedy said she wonders if the leaky fire hydrant near her house on the corner of Andrew and Shaver streets has something to do with the higher bills.

"I want to see the rates go down," she said.

The town loses 35 percent to 40 percent of the water it buys from Salisbury because of leaks, Jefferies said.

In 2006, voters passed a referendum for $1.6 million in bonds to repair the system. The town then qualified for another $200,000 in federal grants.

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