TEAGUE, Texas — Samantha Sides and her family moved to Teague just a few months ago and knew right away something was wrong when they got their first water bill.
"I was expecting a max of $120. I could budget $120. Instead, I got an outrageous amount," she told 25 News.
Her bill came in at a whopping $281. When she looked at a breakdown of the usage, it was all happening overnight or when no one was home.
Sides said when she questioned it, the city's response was she either had a leak or someone was stealing her water. She told 25 News she doesn't think either is true.
"There is no way you're going to get in my backyard through my electric fence, passed my three pitbulls and steal 300 and 400 gallons of water," she said.
Her next step was to take it to Facebook. She wanted to see if any of her neighbors were dealing with a similar issue.
She said her post was quickly overwhelmed with comments by many people including Mark Morgan, who lives across town.
"My bill is on average $135ish give or take. Last month it was $216," he said.
Morgan has lived in the same home for seven years and has never had a bill this high.
"80% of it is fine, our usage," he said. "Then all of a sudden seems like on a reoccurring basis at 1:00 in the morning I'm having anywhere from 100, to I have one day 2,952 used at 1:00 in the morning when everyone's asleep."
Sides said she has about a hundred people with similar stories, with none getting answers from the city or with any idea what to do next.
"Everybody is getting the exact same answer," she said. "You either have a leak, your water is being stolen or you're using it and there's nothing we can do about it."
25 News reached out to the city of Teague repeatedly for this story but did not get any response.
