New London - Larry Lewis said he hasn't eaten since 5 p.m. on Aug. 1, in protest of a five-year-old bill from the water department that he believed was unjust.

Today Lewis will eat.

Lewis and Barry Weiner, chairman of the Water and Water Pollution Control Authority, met Wednesday and resolved their differences surrounding a $3,100 charge that was added to Lewis' water use fees in 2005.

Lewis said he will repay the WWPCA for water he has used but hasn't paid for over the past five years.

In 2005 Lewis had his water system upgraded so that service to his home on Vauxhall Street could accommodate a fire-suppressing sprinkler system and allow him to operate the house as a rooming house. He paid for the work in advance.

The dispute began about three weeks after the work was done, when Lewis received an amended bill, calling for $3,100 more because he had been billed the residential rate rather than the commercial rate, according to Weiner.

Lewis believed he should not have to pay for the water department's mistake. He said he was willing to fast to his death defending that belief.

Weiner contended the mistake came from the documentation Lewis provided when he applied for the service and when he signed for the completed job.

Over the past five years, Lewis has paid very little for water usage and nothing toward the $3,100. His most recent bill says he owes the Department of Public Utilities more than $9,000.

"That might not have been the smartest choice," he said recently. "I stopped paying. I was very frustrated. That was my first protest."

His latest protest came after the two sides struck a deal in March of this year, in which Lewis said he would pay the city about $5,550 of what was then his accumulated debt of approximately $7,900. The WWPCA was forgiving $1,500 of the $3,100, and about $945 in interest and legal fees.

"He failed to honor that agreement," Weiner said. "So the Authority withdrew it and sent the whole thing to our legal department. We went after the entire amount."

Both wanted the issue resolved quickly and amicably.

Lewis continued his fast. He said that on Tuesday his minister, the Rev. Jack Madry, acting as his adviser, met with both Weiner and City Attorney Thomas Londregan.

Lewis, Weiner and Madry sat together Wednesday afternoon. In the end, Weiner asked that Lewis publicly acknowledge that he was treated fairly by the authority and by the city of New London; that he had neglected to pay for water he had used; and that he will begin a payment plan to satisfy his debt.

"I absolutely agree that I should pay for the water I used, with interest," Lewis said Wednesday. "And I intend to do that. This wasn't about being treated badly. It was about a disagreement. And today, we resolved that."

In return, Weiner said the authority is prepared to forgo the $3,100 charge and its associated interest and fees. He said the documents in question that brought about the situation did, perhaps, lend to the confusion, and to both parties believing they were justified in their actions.

Today the two men will share a breakfast at Monica's State Street Diner where Lewis eats every morning, and where, for the past 11 days, he has started his day with a glass of warm water with honey and lemon juice.

Neither Lewis not Weiner could specify Wednesday night the exact amount that Lewis owes on his bill, but they agree that it is the range of $4,000 to $5,000

"We didn't work on the numbers. I didn't have them in front of me," Weiner said. "We agreed that Larry would make payments that were comfortable for him. He said he would have the debt paid by the end of the year."

Lewis concurred.

"I plan to pay $500 a month. I might have to double up a couple of times, but I will pay it off by the end of the year."

c.potter@theday.com