getting ripped off by druggies again

[PGBsuperior]

so today I got a bill for 11,000 gallons of water usage in the last month. Now I know damn well I have not used that making coffee in the morning and taking a shower twice a week. I also know that I have neighbors across the street a couple hundred yards down who's water was shut off because they didn't pay their bill, and who have a history of drug dealing.

The whitetrash guy living down there with his white trash girlfried has told me he is not allowed to own guns anymore. When I called the Sherriff's dept. today I found out why, he's a druggie and has a history of drug convictions.

I told the Sherriffs I have seen lots of newer vehicles entering and leaving his place there, which I have while walking my dog, and it's my guess, given the volume of water I'm being billed for, that he's raising a crop of pot over there, and he's been getting his water for that from my outdoor faucets.

I know from both the water dept.and the sherriff that his water was cut off because he didn't pay his bill. I know from the Sherriff that he has a history of drug dealing.

I'm repositioning my security camera for that faucet he's using, and if I see that piece of **** out there I'll be in his face with a 12 ga. riot gun and a .45.

After all I've been ripped off for by druggies in the last year, I've ZERO tolerance for that, and this being Texas, I really don't think that piece of white trash will be missed at all..

[fatnhappy]

I'll trade you a shovel for a mould.

Whatcha got?

[Bullshop]

If you do then he will have free use of your water when the police take you BY BY!
BIC/BS

[libbyman]

Catch anyone on your property in Texas , at NIGHT and you can do anything to that person that you want. That is Texas State Law.
Ask any repo person, in Texas, why they dont repo cars at night. Because the
repo person has to go onto private property. In Texas that is a NONO!!!!!!!!!

[D.Mack]

First, check the meter, a nice round number like that could be a simple
misread.
Second, don't ever mention your disleasure again, then what ever happens, you don't know anything about it.

[versifier]

Don't your outside taps have inside shutoffs? Dry up the source.
A motion detector/ floodlight in combination with your security camera and a vcr will provide you with certain proof of what's going on and who's responsible.
If you wanted to get really creative and have a little plumbing talent, you could unhook the tap from the rest of the water system and wire it into an electrical breaker. :twisted: It works great with doorknobs in high crime areas, and copper pipe is an excellent conductor.
If the hands-on approach presents itself, a can of mace with the dye in it applied in liberal amounts along with a serious beating has a certain deterrant effect, too, and would simplify identification later if needed. (So will a bullet hole or two, but that's just as likely to get you into trouble.) Scaring him absolutely ****less should deter a cowardly sneak thief and keep him deterred.
If you have sufficient water pressure, an end-of-the-hose fertilizer attachment filled with herbicide and fitted with the proper nozzle to give maximum range could put a serious damper on his cultivation efforts.
Keep him off balance and sooner or later he'll do something stupid and get himself arrested.

[Scrounger]

Alter your plumbing so that faucet leads from a tank of plant killer, something real good like Vapam. When his crop dies he might well move away.

[StarMetal]

Anything put into what is suppose to be a water outlet that can poison someone is concidered murder, not sure what degree or terms.

I remember when I lived in Oklahoma and we had been robbed once talking to the sheriff about parking my car in my neighbors garage so it appeared nobody was home and waiting inside with my 357 magnum the said that's premeditated murder.

Gotta be careful what you do to folks or you can get in a heap of trouble. Best to go by the law even though it seems like it doesn't work alot of times.

I know the intention of the weed killer was to kill his crop, but who knows he may drink some of what he thinks is plain water, or make coffee or something for his family. Also can't take the risk of kids coming by and getting a drink out of the faucet.

Joe

[grumble]

"so today I got a bill for 11,000 gallons of water usage in the last month. Now I know damn well I have not used that making coffee in the morning and taking a shower twice a week. I also know that I have neighbors across the street a couple hundred yards down who's water was shut off because they didn't pay their bill, and who have a history of drug dealing."

I guess I don't quite understand. Are you saying the guy HAULS 11,000 gallons of water a month from your place? Or, are you saying he runs 200 yards of garden hose from your place to his? Just exactly how do you think the guy is getting all that water?

I don't know your situation, but it sounds to me like the earlier suggestion of a misread meter would be more likely, or that possibly you have a broken water pipe on the user side of the water meter. I know I'd look into those possibilities before I got ready to shoot someone, scumbags or not. Unless you just want to make another move from druggies, that is. <G>

[MT Gianni]

The clean water act of 98? or so made it so that any new hookup had to have a backflow prevention device to prevent a hose running into a pool or bucket from being sucked into a community H2O system in the event of a power outage. I would be far more worried that it would draw back into my own system than poisen his plants if your house is older than that or even if you trust a back-flow preventer. Legionaires disease [if ya are old enough to remember that] was generally suspected to be from a backflow problem. gianni.

[StarMetal]

From what I understand and seen on my water line when I lived in Ohio, that backflow prevention device isn't anything more then a swing check valve.

Joe

[Murphy]

PGBsuperior,

Sorry to hear of your water woe's fella. If there is one thing I feel pretty qualified to speak about here, it's water works. I've been working for our local water department for nearly twenty years.

My daily duty's currently consist of chaseing down problems such as yours at times. Such as high water bills.

I would like to offer you a few idea's and see if perhaps you can find out beyond all doubt as to why your water bill has been so high.

Here is a list of things that could very well be your problem other than someone stealing your water.

1. A leaky toilet valve is the NUMBER ONE offender. When it comes to high water bills, 95% of all high water bills I've been sent out to investigate, came from toilets that have a leak. The type that ever so often you hear the sound of the toilet filling itself. While it may not seem that bad, you'd be amazed at how much water can be used up over a months time that way. I've seen peoples water bill cut by 2/3rds after having the toilet(s) fixed.

2. Your water meter was 'over read', the NUMBER TWO offender. Call your water department and request that it be re-read.

3. The reading was correct from the meter reader, but was entered wrong into the computer at the office, NUMBER THREE offender. (By the way, the ladies in the office just love me when I discover that to be the case).

4. Spring time. Sometimes the meter reader may over read the meter, then the ladies at the office figure 'Oh...people are starting to water their yards and gardens again'. So a high bill doesn't look suspicious to them at this time of year.
NUMBER FOUR offender.

5. You have a leak some where on your side of the water meter you haven't discovered. NUMBER FIVE OFFENDER.

6. Water department personel are no different than any other walk in life. We have both good and bad folks. I say this because I've seen it at work, and discussed it with other water department personel outside of my own water department from other towns and cities. Some lazy butt meter reader will 'estimate' your water meter for a period of several months, then decide he'd best check up on it to see if he's 'safe' before it gets caught by someone. Then he discovers he's been under estimating your meter reading for 4 months and....WHAM!!! You get hit with a high bill. It's sorry as hell for one of them to do it, but it happens. NUMBER SIX offender. Thankfully, it's usually the last thing on the list.

I hope one of the above is the problem. I dislike a thief as bad as the next person, but be sure to rule out any of the above before letting yourself get too angry.

Best of luck on finding out exactly what the problem is. Please keep us informed when you do discover the final answer.

Respectfully,

Murphy

[hobbles]

Mornin PGBsuperior
Have you looked at your meter to sea if it is movin when your not usin any water? That will tell you if you have a leak,

[Huffmanite]

I got an outrageous water bill one time. I had lived in the house for about 4 or five years when I got the huge bill. All monthly bills before it were minimal amounts. Called the city of Houston (Tx) water dept about it. They told me I probably had a broken water line or something and to check for it. Knew this wasn't the problem but checked anyway. Did not find any leak. However, out of curiosity, I decided to look at my water meter buried in my yard to check the reading on it. First time I had ever opened up its cover to look at it. Also, I had never seen a city meter reader look in it. Well, when I finally got the metal cover opened, which was not easy to do. Had to use a small pry bar. I found the meter box in ground completely filled with dirt up to the meter box cover. Meter face covered with at least three inches of dirt. No telling how long it had been, since anyone had been able to read the meter. I called the city water dept again to report what I had found and told them I wasn't going to pay any bill like I'd received when there was no way in H-ll my meter had been read in what appeared to be years. Well, the city eventually sent out a person to check my story on the meter. Turned out, not only was the meter covered and impossible to read, but the darn thing was broke too. I did not have to pay the outrageous bill, but after that my water bills sure were a lot higher.

[Murphy]

Huffmanite,

The NUMBER SIX offender strikes again it sounds like.

Glad you came out okay on your end. Sounds like the cheating meter reader was under-estimating your bills all that time. Then he tried to play 'catch up'. Hope he got his sorry butt busted down to the waste water treatment (sewer) plant cleaning up the worst of the worst...

Respectfully,

Murphy

[swheeler]

Murphy; ours get read by a pickup driving down tthe street, something they put on all the meters lastyear, transmits the readings to the "box" in the pickup! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Topper]

Always nice to hear about a happy ending;-)

[Murphy]

swheeler,

They let y'all have pick'um up trucks?

I've heard of such devices. But in my lil town, we are only offered a new bicycle every 6 years (but only if your route exceeds 25 miles), along with 2 pairs of tennis shoes and one baseball bat.

Ocassionally I hit 'pay dirt' in a meter box. It's very rare, but makes the whole experience worth the hard work. A customer will kindly leave a pennie on the meter lid inside the box. WOW!!! Free money! However, there have been ocassions when I looked at the home, decided the folks needed the money more than I did. In those cases, I ALWAYS carefully remove the pennie, lift the lid and read the meter, then place the pennie back EXACTLY as it were. Odd....sometimes they come to town swearin' and snortin' I ain't reading their meter. *Sigh*.

Respectfully,

Murphy