City Is Charging Me $4,600 For A "leak" Their New Smart Meter Detected, But I’ve Proven My Usage Is Normal. They Are Threatening To Shut Off My Water. What Are My Options?

location: Texas, US

About three months ago, the city replaced our old manual water meter with a new "smart" digital one. My average monthly bill for the last three years has been around $45–$60. This month, I received a bill for $4,640.12.

According to the city's data, I supposedly used over 300,000 gallons of water in a single week. For context, that’s enough to fill a large swimming pool every few days. I live alone in a small house with no pool and no irrigation system.

I immediately checked for leaks. I performed a dye test on the toilets, checked every faucet, and even dug a few test holes near the main line to see if there was a massive underground burst. Everything is bone dry. My house would be a swamp if that much water actually leaked out.

The city sent out a technician who spent five minutes looking at the meter and said, "The meter is certified and calibrated. If it says you used it, you used it. Check your toilets again."

I decided to gather my own evidence. I installed a secondary, high-precision flow sensor on my side of the main line (after the city's meter). Over the last 14 days, my sensor shows a total usage of 1,800 gallons, while the city's "smart" meter has logged another 45,000 gallons for the same period. There is clearly a mechanical or software fault in their new unit.

I’ve presented my logs, photos of the dry property, and the data from my secondary sensor to the utility department, but they refuse to budge. They told me that unless I pay the full amount or sign a "payment plan" (which would be an admission of the debt), they will disconnect my service this Friday.

My questions:

1. Is there a formal way to legally "dispute" a utility bill in Texas that forces them to keep the water on while an independent audit is performed?
2. Can I sue for a "declaratory judgment" to prove the meter is faulty before they shut me off?
3. Does anyone have experience dealing with faulty municipal meters? The "it’s certified so it’s right" argument seems like a dead end with these bureaucrats.

I can't afford a $4k bill for water I never used, and I can't live without running water. Any advice on how to escalate this beyond the front-desk clerks would be appreciated.