RicodJour wrote:


The gas and water companies have no role in this. If you consume, you
pay.


In my town, water meters read like odometers. The meter reader is
competent and reliable. The retired couple across the street used about
2500 gallons per month. They were thrifty and sensible. They would not
water their lawn or even their shrubs.

One month they were billed for something like 15,000 gallons. They
couldn't account for it. They would certainly have heard that much
water running in the house, such as in a stuck toilet. It was a
drought. I'd been over there frequently and would have noticed wet
ground if a hose had been left on.

They had to pay. All bills before and after were normal. Other people
in town have had the same experience. What could cause it?