CLEVELAND -- Thousands of people in the Cleveland area are facing huge bills for water they claim they didn't use.

Water bills for more than $1,000 are arriving at local homes, putting a major strain on families already stressed by the economy, reported NewsChannel5's Duane Pohlman.

Jill Laverdiere got a bill from the city of Cleveland for almost $1,400 for three months worth of water.

The city said Laverdiere consumed 70,000 gallons of water in three months, enough to fill three average swimming pools.

"So far, they're indicating there is nothing wrong with our meter. That is our consumption," Laverdiere said.

For more than a year, Laverdiere has been fighting the bill with the constant threat of her water being cut off. Still, she thinks she can win.

"I have faith that it will eventually get worked out," she said.

Herb Rutz, of Brecksville, is in a similar situation after getting a bill for $800.

"If they're saying I used that much water, please show how I could have done it, besides having a tanker truck and filling it up," said Rutz.

Rutz, who is a sales engineer specializing in water equipment, appealed the bill and lost to the Board of Revision.

"I was just shocked when they told me there wasn't enough evidence to see anything wrong. I mean, a novice could see there's something wrong," he said.

Cleveland utilities director Barry Withers admitted most of the problems are tied to remotes on the outside of homes. He said dying batteries inside can trigger wrong readings.

While Rutz didn't win his appeal, Withers said more than half the bills are reduced.

"We should be able to review that and if our equipment is malfunctioning or there is some mistake that we made, then we do make adjustments," said Withers.

If the batteries in the remote are dying, the meter inside may be spinning but the remote may not register.

In some of the cases, a meter reading will trigger catch-up bills, forcing people to pay big bucks for what they actually used.

If you have a complaint about Cleveland water and billing, call the customer call service 216-664-3130.