Please excuse me because I am just ranting and raving mad!!![mad][mad] I'm not looking for a reply; I am just blowing off some steam here---please excuse me!

I came home only to find the City of Anderson shutting off the water supply to our ENTIRE HOUSE! I live in a Victorian-style house that has been renovated into three apartments upstairs, one of which I live in with my daughter and two kitties. The downstairs is one big apartment but it is empty at this time. I called my landlord, who had no idea why the water company shut off all the water to the house. She called to find out why but no one would tell her the reason why! She proceeded to tell them that there were three apartments upstairs that were occupied and that we needed water. The water company told her that we were just going to have to deal with no water at all tonight!! She was told that everyone had gone home and there was nothing that could be done about it! I was so shocked that this would happen, so I asked my landlord if she paid the water bill and she said of course she had and she had the receipt for it, too! She knew all of us upstairs were frustrated and mad as HELL! I have a 9-year-old daughter that I cannot let take a shower because there's NO WATER! I know one thing: There had better be some water by the time I get up or there's gonna be a big problem! My other upstairs neighbors are also angry, too. I mean, what are we supposed to do? We can't cook, wash our clothes, take showers, or anything but yet the water company says that it is not their problem---well, it will be tomorrow if my water's not back on! Oh my Lord and Lady! I cannot believe the callousness of people here in this town!

Adiana[mad][mad][mad][cry][cry]

Find your Water Meter... its usually in the ground, near the road, and turn it on yourself. What can they do????
You will only need Plyers........
the on / off thing is usually Round with a raised part for gripping.
Take a Flash Light.

I agree with LINN. Find the water turn-on at the meter and turn it back on yourself tonight. If your landlord has paid the water bill, then you have every right to take matters into your own hands and do this.

Many blessings to you!

LINN and Thelma,

I appreciate the advice but the water meter is buried and I cannot get to it. The City of Anderson, Indiana is slick, aren't they? Anyway, it is now nearly 11pm. That's okay; I will expect the water to be on in the morning and if it is not...anyway my landlord plans on calling them bright and early in the morning and telling them to either turn the water on at once or else they will hear from her attorney. Also, she said that by law, since we paid our rent, we could complain about this as well and I fully intend to along with the other tenants here. SIGH! Well, that's enough on this subject for now. I think that it's time for bed. Good night all!

Adiana

The city cannot bury your water meter. Just because your landlord showed you a receipt dosn't mean the bill has been paid, the check may not be good! The landlord needs to get to the bottom of this very soon! [wink][nonsense]

ours was turned off a few times and I turned it back on. the water co. called one evening and apologised and said thank you for saving them the trip back out. small towns can be nice some times. Adiana I hope they get your on by early morning.[smile]

Adiana wrote:
LINN and Thelma,

I appreciate the advice but the water meter is buried and I cannot get to it.

Once this crisis is over, you should go out and find the water turn-on/meter just so you'll know where it is. It might very well be in the ground, but if so, it's not buried. It is probably covered, and simply accessed by pulling off the cover. How do you think the meter reader reads the meter each month to determine water usage? It has to be accessable.

In any event, I hope your water's back on in the morning bright and early.

As I said..........

Evil Bunny wrote:
The city cannot bury your water meter. Just because your landlord showed you a receipt dosn't mean the bill has been paid, the check may not be good! The landlord needs to get to the bottom of this very soon!

Bunny and Thelma are right, the water thingy is not buried, it's on your property near the road covered with a "manhole" type lid. It also could be that you all were not the only ones without water ... did you check with the neighbors? Major water leak maybe and the whole block/line had to be turned off? (normally though your water department would have workers on it though.)

Normally though, if the water company has made a mistake they'll come out after hours and turn it back on. If there has been no payment or the payment was no good (such as bunny explained)they make no attempt to settle after hours. With me working at the Police Department in a small town the city hall/water departments phones roll over to us after hours and on weekends and we deal with the problems and dispatch out for emergency repairs. I have to admit, they have a detailed list of who has not paid their bills, the reasoning behind water shut offs and such. It's not just a whimsical idea to make people suffer.

MM to All,

Thanks for the replies. Yes, the water on/off valve IS buried---the City of Anderson told me it was. It is not buried that deep, so it's readily accessible for the utility workers. Since all of you have told me that the city is not supposed to do this, I have lodged a complaint about this with the Mayor's office. We shall see what happens.

Anyway, I did find out what the problem was that created this whole debacle. My landlord received a bill because of a major leak that had happened to the line---this bill was supposedly paid in cash. It was paid because Myra had the receipt that showed that the bill had been paid and in cash, so there's no question about Â*waiting on a check to clear. What happened was some new utility office worker did not read the records or something all the way clearly to see that the bill had been negotiated upon and a payment plan arranged. This person also did not take the time to see that the bill had been paid in full four days ago. This overzealous worker arranged for the water to be cut off! After Myra went up to the utility office today, the utility office still said that we were still not going to have water until tomorrow! They apologized but still said that no one could come out until the next day. How callous! That's when I lost it; I explained that I have a 9-year-old child that cannot even take a shower, that I cannot even take a shower, a sink full of dirty dishes that I cannot wash, clothes that are piling up because I cannot wash them, and that I have no water to use so I can cook and it's all because of their negligence! Also, my upstairs neighbors were with me to complain as well. After all of this, the mayor's office called the Director of the Bureau of Public Works and this director supposedly is going to make them turn our water back on today and by 4pm. Oh my Lord and Lady! What a bunch of crap we have all had to deal with! I'm also sorry that I let it out here---thanks for listening! You guys are the best! Thanks for your patience.

Adiana