A request from a Bessemer resident to void a water bill that skyrocketed after a water pipe broke has been refused. TheDailyGlobe reports the resident believed the break had occurred when the city changed the water meter. Fred Travarthan said he’d noticed a change in water pressure after the installation but wrote it off as the new meter acclimating. A week later, the leak was discovered and his bill was more than $700. In discussion with the board, Ben Tucker, lead of the city’s Department of Public Works said he believed the work had been done properly. City Secretary Samantha Dorr stated the water pipe that broke was 40 years old and located in an area that was not climate controlled. At th end of the conversation, the council voted to let the bill stand.