Tap could run dry for some Triangle residents late on their water bills
Thousands of Triangle residents who owe money on their utility bills could face penalties or lose service altogether this month, as cities take a more aggressive approach to collecting on past-due accounts.
In Durham, the city water department plans to resume disconnections Sept. 16.
In Raleigh, the city utilities department will start to charge late fees on Sept. 19.
Currently, 3,489 residential and 209 non-residential customers in Durham have unpaid water bills. The arrears total over $1.3 million, with residential customers owing about $1 million, according to data from the Department of Water Management.
Durham needs to resume disconnections because it needs the money to operate, said Jennifer Smart, the department’s spokesperson.
“We’re also prohibited by State statute from giving special treatment to any single group, which means forgiving these debts is not a legal option for our municipal utility,” she stated in an email to The News & Observer.
But turning off the tap raises alarms for an infectious diseases specialist at Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center.
“It’s a bit concerning to hear about the restart of water shut-offs as access to water Is essential for food, hydration and hygiene – including the need to wash our hands,” Dr. Ibukun Akinboyo said in an email to The N&O. “Perhaps coming up with other creative solutions for delinquent payments may be better for the current time.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wash their hands often to protect themselves and others from the spread of COVID-19.
Durham suspended water cut-offs March 9, before Gov. Roy Cooper’s statewide moratorium, which expired July 31.
In Durham, Leigh Campoamor has begun a mutual aid group to help her Duke Park neighbors with unpaid water bills and other expenses.
“This particular crisis preceeds COVID,” said Campoamor, an anthropology professor at Duke. “And the crisis of not being able to pay utilities and rent has obviously been exacerbated by the pandemic.”
Katushka Olave, who manages a charity fund at Immaculate Conception Church in Durham, is especially worried about her immigrant parishioners.
Many families are more concerned about paying for rent and electricity than for water, which tends to cost less, she said.
“I’m worried because I know that these people are living right now in calm,” Olave said. “Next week, that’s when they’re going to start seeing that they need to pay or they’re going to be cut off.”
Late fees beginning in Raleigh
Raleigh has about 194,000 water customer accounts including in Wake Forest, Garner, Knightdale, and others.
Before the pandemic, the city averaged 21,000 past-due accounts. That’s jumped to about 26,000, said Aaron Brower, Raleigh’s assistant director of Public Utilities.
Raleigh doesn’t normally begin the disconnection process until people owe more than $125. As of last week, 12,888 accounts met that thresholds, up from about 9,000 at the start of the pandemic, Brower said.
The city doesn’t currently plan to disconnect people’s water for late payments, but that could resume in early 2021.
Durham will not charge any late fees or interest for accounts that stopped paying while Cooper’s executive order was in place, Smart stated in an email to The N&O.
“We are not going to assess any charges other than the regular Water and Sewer usage and service fees. This means no delinquency fee, no extra charge for disconnect, no charge for reconnect,” she wrote.
How can customers avoid disconnection?
To avoid losing service, Durham residents owing bills must either make a payment or contact the water department to arrange a payment plan before Sept 16.
But the most important step to avoid shut-off, Smart said, is to just call the department.
“If they can make a partial payment, any amount is acceptable,” she said.
The department is also contacting customers by mail and phone to set up payments and access the city’s Water Hardship Fund, Smart said.
“Additionally, customers with delinquent accounts receive a mailed disconnect notification about a week in advance and an automated phone call about three days in advance — provided we have been given correct contact information,” she said.
Customers can pay bills in cash at any of Durham’s 40 Western Union locations, according to a news release.
On Sept. 16, the department will start shutting off water service for non-paying customers on a rolling timetable based on billing cycles.
Smart said each account holder has received approximately 42 days notice in advance.
How to get help in Durham
Durham’s Water Hardship Fund can provide up to $240 in aid. It receives $150,000 a year from the city budget, according to Vicki Westbrook, the water department’s assistant director.
Since the start of the fiscal year, in July, over $31,000 has gone to 201 customers, Smart said. About $119,000 remains.
Although 458 customers have applied to the fund since July, not all met the required criteria.
“Of those 458, we discovered that 127 had leaking fixtures,” Smart said. “They were given leak adjustments, which lowered their past due amounts.”
The fund is only available to those with “documented hardship,” and it cannot cover late fees or penalties, according to the application site.
How to get help in Wake County
In Raleigh, people can apply for two different programs to get water bill relief. The first is the city’s Utility Customer Assistance Program which provides $240 for people who meet low-income levels. People can apply by filling out an application and emailing LIEAP@wakegov.com or mailing it to 220 Swinburne St., Raleigh, NC 27640.
The other assistance program was launched through Wake County to help people cove the cost of their utility bills, including water. People must show they’ve been hurt by COVID-19 and meet low-income levels to qualify for the $500.
People can apply by visiting wakegov.com/WakeHELPS or calling 919-212-0476. Applications can also be picked up at two county buildings: Swinburne Building, 220 Swinburne St., Raleigh, and Eastern Regional Center, 1002 Dogwood Drive, Zebulon.
Statewide, Cooper announced $175 million in COVID-19 relief including a soon-to-be-announced program to help people cover their utility bills.
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
