Several Tulsa homeowners have raised concerns after noticing that their water bills remained unchanged for multiple months, prompting questions about meter accuracy. Sharon Kus, whose mother Martha has been billed $215 for eight months, said the family made three trips to City Hall before learning that a broken water meter was the likely cause.
\”My mother went to the City of Tulsa to find out why our bills have been high for a couple of months. She’s been charged $215 for eight months,\” Kus explained. \”The third time she went, they told her, ‘Oh well, you have a broken water meter since March,’ or something like that. Nothing’s been done since. We have not been communicated with. We have not been notified.\”
Jimmi Kus, Sharon’s husband, also spoke with city officials and expressed surprise at the length of time the defect may have persisted. \”Per what the City of Tulsa person said, in March of 2026, they discovered that the unit wasn’t working,\” he said. \”If we’re having this problem, how many others are having that problem?\”
City response and replacement plan
On October 6, the City of Tulsa issued a notice that Meter Works, a city‑contracted service provider, will begin replacing more than 600 residential and small‑commercial water meters identified as defective. The meters in question belong to an initial batch of approximately 9,200 Neptune ultrasonic meters that were installed citywide earlier this year.
The city clarified that customers with defective meters have already been placed on a standard estimated billing system, which calculates usage based on historical consumption patterns rather than real‑time meter reads. While this approach aims to prevent overcharging, some residents worry that the historical data itself may have been compromised by the faulty ultrasonic readers.
\”I just kind of wonder like people out there in the City of Tulsa, like how many people has this been happening to and do they realize? Keep an eye on your water bill,\” Sharon Kus added.
What comes next?
The replacement effort is slated to continue through the remainder of the year, with the city committing to swap out the identified defective units. Residents whose meters have not yet been replaced are encouraged to monitor their bills and contact the utility department if they suspect further discrepancies.
Questions remain about potential refunds for over‑billing that may have occurred while the faulty meters were in service. The city has not yet detailed a reimbursement process, but officials indicated that they will address compensation concerns as the replacement program progresses.
For now, Tulsa homeowners are advised to stay vigilant, review their water statements regularly, and report any irregularities to the City of Tulsa’s water services department.
Original reporting: KTUL 8 (Sinclair) – local — read the source article.
