A licensed plumber found no water leaks Thursday in the home of Yigo-based Stella N. Beloy, 85, who is struggling with a water bill of more than $ 36,000.
Lad De Leon, owner of Pacific Backflow and Plumbing, offered to help Stella Beloy after learning of the lonely older woman’s exorbitant water bill, which peaked at over $ 10,000 a month, an increase from her normal Monthly bill from $ 28 to $ 29.
At around 11 a.m. on Thursday, De Leon and the Mayor of Yigo, Anthony Sanchez, visited Stella Beloy’s residence so that De Leon could check the premises for leaks and then repair them free of charge.
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“But no evidence of water leaks. So I’m not sure if anyone has repaired it beforehand, ”he said. “But as far as I know, there are no leaks. Because if there is a leak, the water meter turns.”
Stella Beloy saw spikes on her monthly bills in December 2020. The spikes lasted until March when her bill hit more than $ 9,000, despite only having one working faucet in her home.
However, her bill suddenly dropped back to the regular $ 28-29, even though there were months when her bill climbed back to near $ 100 or almost $ 400. Stella Beloy continues to pay her normal water bill to prevent her water from being turned off.
Guam Waterworks Authority general manager Miguel Bordallo said Thursday, “GWA’s customer service department is conducting an inspection.” However, he has not yet received a full report and can “currently not confirm any findings”.
“As already mentioned, GWA will make appropriate adjustments to the account should facts / information indicate that such an adjustment is justified,” said Bordallo in an email response.
Stella Beloy’s son, Eutiquio Beloy Jr., who currently resides in Hawaii, said he believed “GWA made a terrible mistake” and asked the agency to reverse the charges on his mother’s account and publicly commit apologize.
Senator Clynt Ridgell, who heads the legislative committee overseeing the utilities, said Thursday, “If there is no leak and Ms. Beloy says she has never fixed any leaks, then either she has neighbors that are thousands of gallons an hour stolen or your measuring device is defective. “
“Occam’s razor would indicate that it is a faulty measuring device. If it is a faulty meter, your invoices will be incorrect and should be corrected. GWA has a well-documented history of installing many faulty gauges, ”said Ridgell.
When Stella Beloy’s story was published, dozens of residents also shared stories of how their water bills suddenly shot up hundreds of dollars, despite not being able to confirm any leaks, only to see their bills return to normal, but they did Still had to pay the unusual numbers high bills to prevent water drops.
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