DC Water Approves Consumer Rate Relief

Today, the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) voted to provide additional rate relief for low income customers. The resolution unanimously approved by the Board directs the General Manager to transfer $6 million from the Rate Stabilization Fund to the FY 2019 Budget to expand DC Water’s Customer Assistance Program to mitigate the impacts of increases in retail water and sewer rates.

“This is good news for the customers of DC Water,” said Board Chair Tommy Wells immediately after the vote. “We are working with the Mayor and DC Council to provide meaningful rate relief, based on need, while maintaining our fiscal integrity and keeping our commitment to help clean up our local waterways.”

In addition to the funding approved by the Board, the District Government has set aside $7 million in its 2019 Budget for assistance to residential customers and not-for-profit enterprises.

“That’s a total of $13 million that will be available to assist residential customers who feel the burden of rate increases the most,” said DC Water CEO and General Manager David L. Gadis. “It’s the right thing to do. I applaud the Board for taking this action today in direct response to what we’ve heard from our customers.”

DC Water’s existing Customer Assistance Program (CAP) is administered by the Energy Office at the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and provides eligible customers with discounts on their water and sewer charges and other fees on their monthly bills. In the resolution approved today, the Board of Directors instructed management to expand the CAP program to provide assistance to more low income customers in the new fiscal year.