Water sector applauds proposed permanent low-income customer assistance program

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) are applauding the introduction of H.R. 3293, the Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act of 2021. The bipartisan legislation, led by Reps. Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.) would create a permanent program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help financially struggling households maintain access to affordable drinking water and wastewater services, by providing grants through public utilities and states, in partnerships with small systems, for customer assistance.

This legislation recognizes the increasing strain that the costs of water services place on households and the challenges the nation’s public clean and drinking water systems face in addressing aging infrastructure, meeting growing water quality and quantity challenges, address regulatory requirements and more while trying to keep costs for these essential services manageable for water customers.