Rose Mary Cook received a shock when she opened a water bill for $74,000.

The city's utility department claimed Cook used 10 million gallons of water last month, charging her $29,787 for water, $43,581 for sewer, plus $893 for municipal tax, according to AP.

"Luckily, when I opened the bill, I was sitting down," Cook said. "I could have filled every pool in southern Illinois and still not used that much water."

Cook presented the bill to a public works employee at City Hall.

The city quickly determined the charge was the result of a broken meter and issued her a corrected bill for $32.66, waiving Cook's monthly water and sewer charges for her troubles.