Queen Tate Jackson is angry after not being able to wash her clothes, her hair or even her body since last June.

Selma Water Works turned Jackson’s water off at her home at 102 Lamar Ave., after Jackson could not pay the more than $2,000 water bill Jackson received in June 2010.

Since then, Jackson said she has been buying bottles of water and going to the Selma-Dallas YMCA daily to stay clean and asking for donations to help go toward the bill she calls an injustice.

Jackson said in May 2010 she had gone to her home in New York to bury relatives and returned to Selma in June to find her exorbitant water bill waiting on her. Jackson went from paying $45 in May to having to pay $2,028.37 in June. Jackson’s bill increased 40 times its original amount in less than a month.

“You can’t use that much water in one month,” Jackson said. “I don’t think anyone has paid that much for a water bill. Something can be done.”

Jackson said she has gone before the water board with her dilemma but they have offered her no help in the matter.

Collins Pettaway, attorney for Selma Water Works, said residents are informed at least 45 days in advance of possible water shut off for non-payment.

“If you’re bill is delinquent, you’ll get another notice, 30 days in advance,” Pettaway said. “If someone enters into a payment agreement with us before their water is shut off, we’ll keep their water on. If you fail to pay a balance, your water will be shut off but we give everyone a chance to pay their bill before shut off.”

Other residents of Lamar Avenue claim their water bills are not nearly as high. They feel Jackson has been treated unfairly.

“I haven’t had any extravagant water bills,” said Lamar resident Yvonne Mielke. “I live across the street from Queen and I haven’t seen any noticeable water coming from her house.”

Pettaway said because Selma has a lot of prairie soil, rain often softens the soil, making underground areas susceptible to leakage.

“Underground pipes may burst and so, you might have a leak under your house and not even know it,” Pettaway said. “Even toilets run from time-to-time and you’d be surprised how much that can run your bill up, so you want to watch out for that as well.”

Jackson said she is not aware of any significant leakages in her home that could’ve caused her bill to skyrocket in the way it did. Jackson, who is also on disability, said she is trying to hang in there.

“I’m still paying $100 on my bill even though my water is off and I’m hoping they won’t continue to charge me,” Jackson said. “I’m surviving though.”