Celine Dion Hits Back Over Water Usage 6/26/08

Canadian singer Celine Dion has hit back after she was named and shamed by water authorities in Florida - insisting her massive water usage was down to a burst pipe.

The My Heart Will Go On star was criticized for using up over 6.5 million gallons (29.5 million litres) at her Miami home, with officials claiming Dion used more water than any other resident in the U.S.

But now Dion's representatives have insisted that the excessive $36,343.13 (£18,000) bill was caused by a burst water main underneath the property.

The pipe was reportedly damaged in May 2007 when the previous home on the site was demolished to make way for Dion's luxurious Jupiter Island complex. But the star only realised something was amiss when she was landed with massive costs from her local utility provider.

Dion's lawyer Michael Weeks says, "Except for a few new trees that need heavy watering, barely any landscaping was done during that time. Something went wrong. "Once the underground pipe was located and repaired, water usage subsided back to normal levels. By January 2008, the property was using an amount of water that I would expect to be one of the lowest on Jupiter Island."