Some people in Anamosa say they are shocked after opening their water bills and seeing amounts due in the thousands.
They tell Iowa's News Now that the lack of response from the city has them wondering how they are going to pay their four-figure bills, especially since they have already gotten disconnect notices left on their doors.
One resident moved to Anamosa from Missouri in September.
He says his first bill was normal, about $90.
But after that, the amount kept going higher and higher.
Now he's faced with a $7,500 bill he says he cannot afford to pay.
He has called the city multiple times asking them to check the meter.
The city has not come into the house yet.
They say the problem is with a leak in the house.
The resident says he had a plumber come to the house and even had one over today.
The plumber found no signs of a leak anywhere.
Another local says he came home to a notice on the door that his water was going to get shut off unless he pays a balance of over $1,000.
He says his wife and three kids live in a trailer home and she is pregnant with their fourth child.
He says him and his family cannot risk having their water shut off so he had no choice but to pay the bill.
He was told by the city that he also has a leak.
A claim he denies.
Iowa's News Now went to the Anamosa City Hall.
City Administrator Michon Jackson says although there might not be a leak inside the home, that does not mean there isn't one underground, around the property.
"It depends where the leak is located and what time of the year it is. Right now, with it being freezing, if it was toward the top and comes to the surface, you'd see bubbling but it just depends where it is," she said.
But experts say the ground may not be that frozen to show no signs of any water in front or backyards.
According to NOAA, the current frost depth in Eastern Iowa is 11 inches.
Most towns require water pipes for homes to be buried five to six feet deep.
There was no sign of any water in the yard.
The locals say, they will keep fighting until they get a break.