Detroit woman says sinkholes led to her $2,000 water bill

DETROIT (WJBK) - A Detroit woman called after three sinkholes popped up on her street - which is the same block where a massive sinkhole nearly swallowed a FOX 2 photographer two years ago.

Julie has a $2,000 water bill believes the holes are to blame for her sky-high water bill.

"It's been like that for three years, going up, going down," said Julie, who doesn't want to use her last name,

Going down would be better. But that's not the case for Julie who lives with her elderly mother on Penrod in Rosedale Park. 

"Nobody's water bill is that high ever," she said.

Unless you have an Olympic size swimming pool, which they don't. 

FOX 2: "Why do you think your water bill so high?"

"Because we have three sink holes," she said. "One over there is 5 feet deep. And that was over there is pretty deep. Over here is pretty deep."

Julie says that the city was out about three weeks ago to fill up holes with dirt and take care of that problem.  But the water bill didn't go down. 

"There's a crack in the water pipe, there's a leak," she said.

FOX 2: "Have you called the water department?"

"Yes but I didn't get any help with them," she said.

But FOX 2 did.  And officials at the water department say that likely, there's a leak, but the leak is in Julie's house. The sinkholes that Julie talked about pertain more to the sewer and are not connected to Julie's water meter.

"I am looking want some help paying the $2000 bill," she said. "My mother is elderly and I want to Detroit Water Department to fix it."

The water department will work with Julie in the WRAP program as well as with Wayne Metro, a service that helps people handle high water bills. 

FOX 2 has been promised that Julie will not have her water shut off, as long as she is working with the water department. 

"My neighbor's water bill is $38 the other one is $51," she said.  "You won't find any more of the $2000 water bill. And that's a fact."