NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday that the city will send out notices to shut water access to New Yorkers who don’t pay their bills.
There are currently about 2,400 “chronically-delinquent” water service accounts that owe the city nearly $102 million, according to Adams.
DEP will send out "Water Shutoff Notices" to these customers, informing them their property could be shut off from water access unless the entire owed amount is paid or they enter into a payment agreement within the next 15 days.
These notices will be sent to commercial properties, including hotels, office buildings, and retail spaces, as well as one-to-three family homes that have not responded to the DEP over the years.
If the balance is not paid within time, DEP will begin the process of shutting off water service. Major accounts will have the notice posted on their property door and the street or sidewalk will be spray painted to indicate marking where the service line will be disconnected.
Customers whose water service is shutdown must pay a $1,000 restoration fee and settle their overdue balance in full or arrange a payment plan.
The shut off warning letters were sent out earlier this year and the agency was able to gather more than $3 million dollars from more than 400 overdue accounts.
“We gave these delinquent customers a chance to clear their water debts and save millions on interest through our water amnesty program, and while more than 100,000 took us up on our reasonable offer, a small percentage of customers incorrectly made the mistake of thinking they could get away with stiffing their fellow New Yorkers without any accountability,” Adams said.
The City also warned that shutting off water service can lead to code violations from several NYC departments, including the Department of Buildings, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Fire Department, possibly resulting in an Order to Vacate the Premises.
The money that's paid back will be used by DEP to keep water rates low for all customers, and all bill payments are used to fund maintenance, upgrades, and repairs
Customers can make payments or enter into a payment agreement online, by calling 866-622-8292, paying in-person at a borough office, or by mailing in payment to the New York City Water Board.