NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WRTV) -- A Noblesville man received a letter in the mail from Citizens Energy Group, telling him to fix his water meter pit.
Mark Vaught contacted Indiana’s I-Team for help.
“I'm fighting Goliath, and I'm David, and I'm hoping you can help me,” Vaught told Kara Kenney with Indiana’s I-Team.
The letter, from Citizens Energy’s Dispatch Office, notifies the homeowner that their water meter pit is not in proper condition.
It is the homeowner’s responsibility to hire a plumber to fix the issue, according to Citizens Energy.
In Mark Vaught’s case, his lid is four to six inches too low and needs to be raised.
According to the water company, the lid needs to be accessible if they need to read the meter, if there’s an emergency like a leaking or broken water pipe.
“They also may become a trip hazard for children playing in the yard or routine grass mowing if below grade,” said Ben Easley, a spokesperson for Citizens Energy Group in an email to Indiana’s I-Team. “They should be maintained and accessible at all times.”
Citizens Energy found the issue at Vaught’s home while turning the water back on in the spring. They turn the water off when they leave Noblesville during the winter months.
But Mark Vaught says his water meter lid has always been low.
“It's been like this, Kara, for 42 years,” said Vaught.
It’s not clear why Citizens Energy is cracking down now.
Easley said they send the letters to homeowners on a “case-by-case” basis.
“In this instance, our Citizens employee was initially on site to re-establish services (after the customer requested services be suspended during the cold months) and noticed that the water meter pit is below grade—this is what led to the blue tag,” said Easley. “It is individual homeowners who own their meter pit infrastructure and have a duty to maintain it such that it doesn’t get buried or become inaccessible to meter readers, plumbers or the customer.”
Vaught said he never saw a blue tag on his property, but he did receive the letter telling him to hire a plumber and fix it.
“I called two plumbers and they told me it would cost $1,200, and another told me $800,” said Vaught. “We’ve got the $1200 but I don’t want to spend it.”
Vaught plans to use half of a 5-gallon bucket to try to raise the lid.
However, Indiana’s I-Team checked with Citizens Energy and Easley said that’s not an acceptable fix.
The utility does not have any plans to fine customers over the issue, however, Citizens Energy points out that if you don’t fix the water meter pit and there’s an emergency—you could be liable for damage to your property and your neighbor’s property.
