LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Leaders in Lafayette and Broussard have reached a tentative deal to settle a nearly two-year legal battle over allegations that Broussard used millions of gallons of wholesale water from its larger neighbor without paying for it. A proposed settlement made public Monday calls on Lafayette to refund about $275,000 of an $825,587 water bill that Broussard had paid to Lafayette under protest. Broussard's water wells do not produce enough water to serve the entire city, so Broussard relies on wholesale water purchased from Lafayette Utilities System. LUS officials alleged in 2011 that a bypassed meter on a wholesale water connection had allowed millions of gallons of water to flow undetected into Broussard's water system. Broussard officials had said they were not aware of the bypassed meter.