I have a very high water bill for water that is dangerous to drink. Over a very long period of time it is dangerous to use period. They have been working in the unsafe chemicals that was found in the water, but they have been doing that for a year now. We recently got help from our village to help pay the water bill. They gave each resident $200.00 towards the bill the we pay every other month. Even after the money was sent to the water department, we still owed them about $250.00. Now if thats not ridiculous, I don't know what is!
I get reports from my water provider every so often, and they always state that it's safe, but I don't trust it. The water downstairs doesn't taste that bad, but I still use bottled whenever possible. The water up here smells and tastes like metal, so I always use bottled up here for drinking and for the kitty water bowl. I know it could be the pipes in the house, not the actual city water, but the owner here doesn't even do necessary repairs, let alone anything like pipe replacement, which she'd consider unnecessary.
There are water connections with poor quality control systems to check for minerals, physical qualities like odour and clarity as well as pathogens. I have found the water supply in my area to have a higher than normal level of chlorine which is not good for gut health. I suppose that its cheaper for one to look for alternative sources or invest in a simple homemade purification system to correct any anomalies. I suppose borehole water is the cheapest and safest when a village group mobilises to sink one and it has the advantage of longevity.
This is similar to what's happening in the area of my sister's residence. Half of their city is affected by dirty water so the disrtributor (Manila Water) is rationing water with the use of water trucks. The tap is temporarily dry until they find out what's making the water dirty. But in fairness to the water management officer, the rationed water are clean and drinkable. The situation has been going on for almost a month now. Their problem is not only the drinking water but more for the house uses like bathing and laundry. As of now, the water bill is zero since there is on water on the tap but they have to pay the delivery of water... which looks more expensive.
I think someone must have tampered with the meter or maybe your water provider has a minimum monthly subscription rate, whether or not the water is usable. Have you talked with your provider? You can consult a lawyer if things go out of hand and they still insist on charging you for water that's not even usable.
