Battle between Atlanta Watershed, apartment complex heads to cou

Source: WGCL

ATLANTA (CBS46) -

A highly publicized battle between the Atlanta Watershed and an Atlanta apartment complex headed to court on Wednesday but did not address the issue of nearly $700,000 in water bills owed by the complex.

The court hearing was on other violations at the complex and not the actual water bill in question. Many residents say they're struggling to find money to move out of the complex and they feel stuck.

CBS46 did some digging and found the court assignments and the property owner is listed several times. CBS46 first reported on the problems at Sierra Ridge in late July and their water balance of $690,000. Atlanta Mayor Kasim reed says the owners of the complex have been collecting rent money from families that live there but have not paid their water bills in more than two years.

On top of that, the mayor says those owners haven't taken advantage of the amnesty payment plan. That eventually resulted in many residents at the complex losing their water service in the middle of the Summer.

The city then turned service back on for two weeks, giving residents additional time to find alternative housing and allowing the property owner to address an outstanding balance in full. 

When a company with a large commercial account refuses to pay what it owes, the costs are spread to other customers, and affect the Department of Watershed Management’s ability to perform at the highest level," said Mayor Reed in July. " We hope that during this two week period, the property manager does the right thing for its tenants and the public by paying what it owes.”  

The owners of the complex say a large chunk of the money owed is actually from the previous owners and they question the city's billing practices. An online search for the property company didn't yield a phone number or email to contact.

Stay with CBS46 News for updates.

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