November 10, 2020

Honorable Leonidas P. Raptakis

Rhode Island State Senate
D – Dist. 33
Coventry, East Greenwich, West Greenwich

Honorable Patricia A. Serpa

Rhode Island House of Representatives
D – Dist. 27
West Warwick, Coventry

Dear Senator Raptakis and Representative Serpa,

Thank you for your letter and concern. The Kent County Water Authority is taking this matter very
seriously and we are actively investigating each claim received. This investigation has been our primary
focus since the end of last week when it was first brought to our attention. Our employees are working
diligently every day to bring resolution and reach a satisfactory conclusion. This is a comprehensive
process, and we are working as efficiently as possible. Kent County Water Authority prides itself on
providing the highest level of professional service and quality. Each investigation is being handled
individually and requires site visits to each location to obtain data and relevant information. A formal report
will be provided to each customer including a top to bottom review of all account information, photographs,
and usage history. Attached are example reports for the first few investigations completed. The first round
of investigations is showing that the water was used. We have also reached out to our meter Vendor,
Neptune Technology Group, for assistance which they are providing. All valid billing discrepancies found
will be rectified immediately.
The Authority has replaced more than 12,000 meters over the last 18 months and there is no known
systemic issue (such as billing multiplier errors as alleged) through multiple billing cycles within the eight
communities we service. The only errors we encountered thus far are tied to a few manual reading entry
issues that have been resolved. Our legacy billing and customer information system is fully operational.
Each meter is factory tested for accuracy and certified in exceedance to AWWA standards before it is
installed. Neptune is providing KCWA the certified testing results for every meter installed. Photographs
are taken at every installation and old meters are retained for six months in the case of billing disputes.
The summer quarter billing has always caused an uptick in customer inquiries regarding water usage. The
Authority sent over 9000 bills in October including summer usage. The production and wholesale
purchased water is over 30% higher than last year during the same period which evidences the increase
seen in the customers bills during this quarter. To this date, of the 9000 bills sent, KCWA received
approximately 200 billing inquiries and is conducting detailed investigations on 107 accounts. In these
circumstances the customer requested additional information following the Social Media posting and the
Turnto10 story. The originator of a social media post receiving the largest number of comments has
reached out to our customer service team to communicate that they now understand the new meter
installation is not cause for the higher bill. This customer has also expressed their willingness to correct
the prior allegations in an updated post.
The investigation is moving as quickly as possible with seven staff members working on it. The Authority
will provide a complete report of its findings once finalized. It is KCWA standard practice that bills being
disputed are effectively on hold for payment until the investigation is complete for the customer. As stated
in our Friday press release, KCWA is urging all customers to email specific billing inquiries to
customerservice@kentcountywater.org so our customer service staff can respond each one individually in
an organized fashion. The email should include the customer name, address, account number, and
description of the specific request. Again, KCWA will work with each and every customer to ensure the
information is accurate and thoroughly investigated. Please have the specific customers outlined in your
correspondence email customerservice@kentcountywater.org if they have not already done so.

Very truly yours,

Kent County Water Authority

David L. Simmons, PE
Executive Director/Chief Engineer

Cc: KCWA Board Members

John Bell, Chief Accountant, DPUC
Linda George Esq., Administrator DPUC

Enclosures: Final Meter and Billing Investigation Report Examples