DC Water announced today a public hearing set for October 30 at 6:30 pm to gather input from the community about an expanded financial assistance program for customers and non-profits. The hearing will be held at the Department of Employment Services building, 4058 Minnesota Ave NE, Washington, DC 20019.
 
The $13 million program, funded jointly by DC Water and the District government, originated last spring with efforts to assist customers who are struggling the most with paying their Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge, or CRIAC charge, which funds the cleanup of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek.
 
This expanded assistance program, supported by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Council as part of the recent budget agreement, expands the current DC Water Customer Assistance Program (CAP) to offer discounts to households for CRIAC and water and sewer costs. These programs were expanded to include a scaled level of support for a broader population of customer up to 100% of area median income.
 
The new customer assistance programs are intended to provide relief for just one fiscal year, beginning on October1, 2018 and running through September 30, 2019.
 
Under the terms of the planned relief that grew out of the DC Council legislation funding the program, non-profits must show that their current CRIAC charges amount to at least 5 percent of revenue after expenses – using their tax documents filed in the past year as proof of need. They also may qualify if they can show that they are trying to mitigate stormwater runoff. Cemeteries and religious organizations meet a lower threshold to qualify.
 
Individual customers with household incomes up to $117,000 a year can qualify for the assistance. That assistance is aimed at individuals whose incomes make them ineligible for the current Customer Assistance Program at DC Water. Eligibility for the expanded CAP program and the non-profit relief program will be determined by the District Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE).
 
The assistance programs for both non-profits and individuals will be finalized this winter following the public hearing and publication of the proposals. Then the credits will be applied to eligible customers retroactively to October 2018.
 
If you’d like to testify, please email lmanley@dcwater.com or call 202-787-2332. Anyone who cannot testify in person can submit written testimony 30 days from the hearing. More information about DC Water’s existing CAP program can be found on the DC Water website at www.dcwater.com/customer-assistance.