Iowa Family’s Sticker Shock from Water Bill in the Thousands

There's something in the water in Runnells, Iowa, but this family wouldn't know. They got theirs shut off, and the effort to get it back on could cost them over $9,000.

Patrick and Danyelle Zubrod and their three kids freely admit that they were unable to pay some bills last year while they were out of work due to the pandemic. After attempting to pay their overdue water bill, they claim Des Moines Water Works gave them an unpleasant surprise. They didn't just shut off the water, they dug into the ground and disconnected the line, a project the Zubrods say is going to cost them $9,011 to fix. The Zubrods have contacted an attorney to help them resolve the issue.

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Des Moines Water Works' stance on the issue, according to KCCI was learned in a statement, saying:

it is rare that Des Moines Water Works is required to physically terminate a customer's service line. Instances in the past that have required disconnection of service include such things as customers refusing to repair hazardous leaks and a customer's repeated attempts to illegally restore their water service after it has been shut off for non-payment

The report doesn't indicate if any of these factors apply to the Zubrods' situation but there generally are two sides to every story. For now, the Zubrods are "borrowing" water from their grandparents and buying it at the store. They want the situation resolved as quickly as possible so their family of 5 can have running water again.

We will keep you posted on how this gets resolved and until then, we wish the Zubrods the best of luck.