Selectmen on Thursday denied Nicolas Grace's request for reduction of a $72,228 water bill that Grace racked up when a leaky pipe went undetected for months.

“It has always been the written practice of the board that if the water passes through the meter, the homeowner pays,” said Town Administrator Paul Dawson said.

Selectmen expressed sympathy for Grace's plight but, after discussion, determined that they could not depart from that policy without opening the floodgates to other residents seeking similar relief, albeit for lesser amounts.

Grace's water bill, for a six-month billing period, reached the five-digit mark because the leaking pipe and the water meter were in a swampy spot on Grace's land. The extra swampiness was not immediately noticed -- but it did cause to the meter to stop transmitting data to the Department of Public Works.

Once detected by town employees, who investigated after seeing that the meter had stopped transmitting, the leak was repaired by Grace -- but not before the monetary damage had been done.

Selectman Jody Dickerson said he understood how the leak went undetected for so long: “There was no reduction in the water pressure. Most homeowners have a meter in their home, but this one was in a pit in the ground.”

Rob Zora, Superintendent of the Department of Public Works, countered that Grace should have noticed a rise in the water level even if the pit was in wetlands.

“You shouldn’t have that kind of water in the pit,” Zora said. “It should have sent up a red flag.”

Zora also noted that, in 1995, Grace replaced those water pipes that were on his property. Both Zora and Selectmen John Henry said should have moved the meter into his house at that time.

“I look at his case and there is no question it is unusual,” Zora said. “But, I look at other cases with high water bills and ask how are we going to put that into perspective?”

Grace declined to comment on the situation and was not present at Thursday's meeting when Selectmen discussed his request for an abatement.

Having known about the leak, Dawson said Grace was prepared for a high bill, but was shocked to learn exactly how high it was.

Dawson said he called Grace before the bill was sent out as a courtesy.

“In the time I’ve been here, I’ve never seen anything that high,” Dawson said.

Grace, Dawson said, “was very surprised.”

Dawson said he spoke with neighboring town officials, all of which said they had never seen a bill that was more than a few thousand dollars.

The Selectmen discussed approving the abatement for a 50 percent reduction on Grace’s bill, but decided against it. This is something the town has never done, said Selectman John Henry. "It’s the precedent setting nature of it.”

“It’s a tough time to make a decision,” Henry said. “Grace is a member of the Affordable Housing Trust and he’s given a lot to the town. This is in no way an easy thing to do.”

“There are other courses of action he can take,” said Selectman Jody Dickerson. “He can appeal it to the District Court.”