Birmingham Water Works plans to repay certain customers who were overcharged for water, but many customers might receive less than anticipated.
Earlier this year, thousands of Water Works customers reportedly did not receive bills for months at a time. Later, they received much larger or multiple bills all at once.
The bills were not based on accurate meter readings but were estimations based on previous months. Birmingham Water Works blamed the issues on a lack of meter readers and insufficient staffing.
Now, the Water Works said Tuesday that the utility is fully staffed, and 99% of customers should receive timely bills.
According to WBRC, approximately 47,000 customers will now receive credits from the Water Works by the end of the month. However, around 41,000 of them will get back less than $5.
The largest credit any Water Works customer will receive will be around $600.
If Water Works customers do not specifically request a refund, the credits will appear on their next billing statement.
“We apologize again for any inconvenience experienced by any customer,” said Water Works general manager Michael Johnson. “We are glad to bring the crediting process to fruition, which resolves the challenges we faced earlier this year.”
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