The Sweetwater Authority is notifying its customers about a federal debt relief program that may provide water or wastewater bill assistance.
The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides a one-time payment of up to $2,000 to qualified customers. Those interested in the program will need to fill out an eligibility form before August 23, 2023.
Qualified customers are those in low-income households, and renters that pay for utilities as part of their rent may also be eligible.
Established by Congress in December 2020, the LIHWAP is the first-ever federal water assistance program created to help households with their water and wastewater bills. According to Gene Sperling, Coordinator in the White House for the American Rescue Plan, over 2.2 million people in the United States lack access to Running Water in basic indoor plumbing, often because of the high cost of service.
The American Rescue Plan provided $500 million to fund this program. California has been allocated $116 million in one​-time funding to provide LIHWAP assistance.
The program is administered locally by the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty of San Diego County (MAAC). After the customer applies to the program, MAAC will work directly with the Authority to apply funding to the qualified accounts.
The water utility said it offers customers additional resources to help with water bills, including 24-month payment plans. Customers can call the Authority’s Customer Service Department at (619) 420-1413 for more information on their account and the resources available to them.
Visit maacproject.org/LIHWAP to learn more about the program, eligibility requirements, and to fill out the Eligibility form.
