It is said a small leak can sink a great ship, but after appealing an enormous water bill, one local senior was able to keep kept afloat financially.
Morris Park resident Marie DiTomasso found her water bill to be abnormally high, much more than twice her normal charge, after a leak caused plaster and other materials in the ceiling of an apartment she owns at 1814 Bogart Avenue to collapse in November.
“There was a slow, undetected leak. I only learned of it when I saw some water spots and change of color in the ceiling,” DiTomasso said. “The water bill came and it was a lot higher than my normal, average bill. There was nothing out of the ordinary except for the leak.”
After the leaky pipe was repaired, DiTomasso tried to get her bill lowered.
DiTomasso said that she had heard that Senator Jeff Klein worked with the Department of Environmental Protection to resolve a similar issue recently.
She contacted Senator Klein, who submitted paperwork to appeal the outstanding amount and contacted DEP, requesting DiTomasso be considered for the Leak Forgiveness Program.
Recently, the Department of Environmental Protection notified Klein that DiTomasso qualified for the program and her water bill was cut in half.
“I am thrilled Mrs. DiTomasso won her case,” Klein said. “We need to protect property owners from situations like this one.”
