JACKSON - A homeowner in Jackson received sticker shock this week when he opened his water bill and a $50 balance forward fee was tied to his account.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, the East Feliciana Rural Water System began imposing a 10-percent late charge and a $50 balance forward fee for anyone who has past-due amounts on their accounts.

The problem is, Alvin King said he pays his bills each month and his account balance was zero. In October of 2018, King said there was a small charge that carried over but he paid it in full in November. It's why he's having trouble understanding why he's being charged $50 for something that occurred in October.

"I paid the balance, and when I paid the balance, even though it was zeroed out, they charged $50 on top of my current bill," King said.

Inside the East Feliciana Water System, a bulletin was clearly posted showing the new charges. However, no one inside could answer our questions about King's bill and calls to the General Manager were not returned.

This is the same water system featured in a WBRZ Investigative Unit report two years ago. Then we showed you water leaders told people the water was safe to drink even though some people reported water coming out of their taps that was the color of coffee. We bottled some up and brought it to the water system where they confirmed it was safe to drink, but they refused to take a sip.

"No sir," they said.

As King tries to rectify the $50 that he said erroneously appeared on his bill, he's calling for an overhaul at the water system.

"It's not the best water," King said. "Like I told the lady at the water company, I don't drink the water. The only thing I do is bathe in it, wash my clothes and wash my car. That's it."

The bulletin posted at the water company states that it is no longer mailing out disconnect notices due to increasing postage costs.