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Tampa's top water user disputes bills

News Channel 8 photo by MAURICE CAPOBIANCO

Water bills at the Wallace mansion ranged from $2,556 to $4,468 a month.

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE cwade@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 8, 2009

TAMPA - One of the city water department's best customers has a problem with his bill.

Don Wallace, the former RV King and philanthropist, used more than 6 million gallons of water last year at his Bayshore Boulevard mansion, much of it to keep his grounds lush and green.

Now he's disputing his water bills, which ranged from $2,556 to $4,468 a month. He met with city officials last week to question whether he was being overcharged.

In a written reply to Wallace, a city utility official said there were no overcharges.

"We have been reading your meters correctly," wrote Quentin C. "Butch" Hill, the city's utility accounting manager.

Hill suggested Wallace request the city conduct a "water audit" of his sprinkler system to determine if there are leaks.

Wallace could not be reached Thursday.

The city has a tiered system for billing - those who use more pay more. The highest level of charges is $4.06 for every 100 cubic feet of water, which is equal to 748 gallons.

The average residential customer in the area uses 8,000 gallons a month. Based on his usage last year, Wallace consumes about 500,000 gallons a month, making him the city's largest residential user.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

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