New Bedford Man Shocked by Massive $25,000 Water Bill

These days, you're almost guaranteed to expect a few surprises when you buy a new house. A loose floorboard, or a mystery key, or perhaps maybe a light switch that does absolutely nothing.

What you don’t expect? A water bill that makes you question every life choice you’ve ever made.

That’s exactly what happened to New Bedford resident Ray Rouke, who recently purchased another home in the city, built back in 1919, and opened his very first water bill.

The total? $25,291.41.

Yeah… same reaction.

Get our free mobile app

A Bill That Made Him Do a Double Take

“Imagine my shock when I opened that bill,” Rouke laughed.

At first glance, it looked like the house had been running a 24/7 car wash, filling Olympic-sized pools, or secretly operating a neighborhood splash park. The number was so wild it barely felt real.

The Meter Mix-Up (Confirmed)

Rouke quickly reached out to the city, believing the issue stemmed from a meter-reading mistake – and he was right.

According to Jonathan Darling, Public Information Officer for the City of New Bedford, a quick call to the Department of Public Infrastructure confirmed it was a computer glitch tied to the sale of the home, which incorrectly started the meter reading at zero instead of the previous owner’s final amount.

Nearly Three Decades of Water… on Paper

Darling also shared a fun (and slightly terrifying) fact to put things in perspective.

"The average single family home in NB uses about $75 in water every month (that’s on average – obviously some way higher, some lower, but that’s the average). So I punched that in the calculator, and Rouke got a bill for about 28 years worth of water (333.3 months x 75 = 24,997)," Darling said.

All’s Well That Ends… Dry

No five-figure bill. No emergency plumber. Just a great story and a reminder to always open your mail sitting down.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF

These are the most and least expensive toll roads in the U.S.

According to data compiled by Uproad, these are the highways across the country that charge the most and least to drive as of 2023. Officials in the state listed as the most expensive, however, say the data is incorrect and they provided the information to back it up.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

LOOK: 25 of the Most Expensive Divorces of all Time

All is fair in love and war, and 2022 was a year filled with celebrity breakups. Stacker highlights 25 of the most expensive divorces of all time, based on our independent research.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

Filed Under: New Bedford