Trousdale County family worries how they will pay for a $10,000 water bill

A Trousdale family is grappling with the fallout of a water line leak that resulted in a bill for nearly a million gallons of water.

Rick Zhorne, the homeowner, is no stranger to dealing with water leaks. But this time, the issue went undetected for a longer period.

Zhorne explained the source of the problem: "Basically where the glue is. It somehow came loose."

The leak has resulted in a significant financial burden. Zhorne shared that the amount he's been billed was nearly $10,000.

He expressed frustration over the timing of the notification from Hartsville Trousdale Water & Sewer Utility District.

"They’ve called us every time, but the issue I have with this one is this billing cycle ended on the 6th, and they called me on the 15th, meaning there’s a nine-day gap there."

According to Zhorne, the water company cited a malfunctioning transmitter as the reason they couldn’t notify him about the leak sooner.

"They weren’t getting a connection from it, so they didn’t know there was high usage," Zhorne said. "I asked them why it’s not working. They said, 'I don’t know,' and that’s unacceptable. I mean, that’s there to protect the citizens of the county. Most of the people in Trousdale County are rural residents."

Zhorne is hoping for some assistance from the company.

"Any help they can give us would be great. We honestly can’t afford it even with the $2,500 leak protection," he said.

Zhorne emphasized the communication needs to improve.

"I think everybody knows we didn’t use almost a million gallons of water. There was a severe leak," he said.

The financial impact of the bill is substantial for the family.

"I’m not asking for handouts or giveaways. I pay all my bills. This hurts," Zhorne said. "I hope they take this seriously and develop a policy."

In the past, Zhorne has had to set up payment plans to manage costly water bills resulting from leaks. Now, he is left hoping for a resolution that will prevent such situations in the future.

Hartsville Trousdale Water & Sewer Utility District's statement

"A leak occurred on the customer’s side of the meter. It is crucial to understand that the Hartsville/Trousdale Water and Sewer Utility District’s obligation extends only to supplying water to the meter. The customer bears the responsibility for any plumbing concerns from the meter to their home. The utility provides an optional leak protection program to help customers address such issues."

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com

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-Carrie Sharp