Residents in the -Petersburg community are voicing concerns over unusually high water bills following the recent merger of the Petersburg Water System and Fayetteville Public Utilities (FPU).

FPU officially began serving Petersburg water customers on May 1, 2026, when the water system was merged into Fayetteville Public Utilities at the direction of the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office. The state identified the Petersburg system as financially distressed and sought a more stable utility provider to take over operations.

“When the Comptroller’s Office feels a system is in distress, they look for another utility that can financially support and improve that system,” said FPU CEO/General Manager Britt Dye. “That’s what happened here since FPU is in close proximity and currently furnishes them all of their water.”

According to Dye, one of the more prominent issues with the merger involved outdated meters. Dye noted that aging water meters often slow down over time, which can result in inaccurate readings. With a grant awarded from the state, Petersburg and their contractors replaced outdated meters with updated AMI meters.

Dye said the billing issues stem from months of estimated meter readings conducted before FPU officially assumed control of the system. “Petersburg had not performed meter readings since December 2025, and bills were estimations of water usage,” Dye said. “When you reconcile those bills with actual readings, some customers were either under-billed or over-billed.”

Dye said the updated equipment gives the ability to transmit and send accurate water meter readings directly to FPU’s office after the transition.

With the installation of better technology, FPU now has accurate readings to be able to reconcile the estimated water usage for the period before May 1. For example, one customer’s estimated usage over several months was listed at approximately 10,600 gallons. However, once he received actual readings, the true usage was found to be nearly 95,000 gallons.

Dye noted contractors and engineers are also working to address leaks and infrastructure issues within the aging water system. “We know the system is in bad shape,” Dye said. “We also understand that customers are the ones affected by it and we want to help them any way we can.”

Dye emphasized that FPU is working with customers who received unexpectedly high bills. He said the utility does not plan to disconnect service while questions are being addressed. “We’re not adding late charges and we’re not cutting anybody’s water off until we make sure customers have the information they need,” he said. “We want customers to call or come by our office with any questions or concerns they have with their bills or usage.”

The utility has also acknowledged frustrations among customers who believe their accounts were current based on previous information they received before the merger. Efforts were made over the past year to notify Petersburg customers about the upcoming merger. A public meeting was held, door hangers were distributed twice throughout the community, and information was shared through the newspaper, social media platforms and radio updates.

The Petersburg Water System currently serves approximately 370 customers. Dye said while the transition has been difficult, the goal is to stabilize and improve the system long-term. “We want to help all these customers the best we can,” he said. “Our priority is communication and helping customers understand the estimated readings and the requirements of the transition.”