New changes coming to Richmond to address skyrocketing water bills

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Technology upgrades and repair work is underway in the City of Richmond to address repeated inflated water bills.

From leaks that led to a $21,000 water bill for a Richmond man to estimated readings that caused a $3,000 increase for a Richmond woman -- over the years residents have shared their water woes with 8News after they couldn't seem to understand why their bill jumped so high.

It's a problem 4th District Councilmember Sarah Abubaker said her constituents have continued to notify her about.

“I've got constituents that have $8,000 bills, $20,000 bills. And so obviously that is not normal consumption," Councilmember Abubaker said.

While she has worked to address errors in her district, it is her hope that residents across the city could solve this issue quickly with the department or avoid it altogether.

"It's 2025. There has to be a simple algorithm that says, you know, if a bill is 200% more, this month than it was in the past 12 months, that should raise a flag in the system," Councilmember Abubaker said.

According to Utilities Director Scott Morris, changes are underway to improve the billing process.

This starts with checking the accuracy of the several thousand disputed bills that Morris said is currently backlogged.

In addition to clearing those bills, the department is working to address leaks quicker, update water meters across the city and cut down on bill dispute processing times. There are also plans to launch a new customer service portal in February of 2026 where residents can easily dispute, pay and view their bill.

“They are putting those systems in place now. I’m disappointed they weren’t in place before but again, I am always thinking about the positive and I am glad to see that he actually named that proactively and they are moving toward that new system now," Councilmember Abubaker said.

If you receive a higher than normal bill you can contact the Utilities Department by using RVA 311 by calling (804) 646-4646 or by email at dpucustserv@rva.gov.