New Jersey American Water Reminds Customers About Payment Assistance Programs During ‘Utility Assistance Week’

CAMDEN, N.J. (May 17, 2021) – In honor of Utility Assistance Week (May 17-21), New Jersey American Water wants to remind customers who need help with their water or wastewater bill to apply for the company’s H2O Help to Others Program™ and utilize other payment assistance programs.

“While water service is a tremendous value at just a penny per gallon, we understand the water bill is not the only bill our customers pay and that many people are facing additional hardship due to the COVID-19 public health emergency,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. “We want to be sure customers are aware of our assistance programs and use them to get help if they need it.”

In an effort to get this information out to customers, New Jersey American Water is promoting its bill paying assistance programs through social and digital media, bill inserts, emails and other customer notifications, including a new video.

For nearly a decade, New Jersey American Water has been assisting qualified customers through this unique assistance program. H2O Help to Others Program is administered by New Jersey SHARES (NJ SHARES), a nationally recognized nonprofit organization providing statewide help, guidance and referral for essential services to New Jersey residents in need of assistance.

Through the company’s H2O Help to Others Program, assistance is made available to customers in two distinct ways – through grants and/or a discount on service charges. Customers meeting lower income requirements can qualify for grants of up to $500 to help pay their indoor water bill. Qualified customers also have the opportunity to receive up to 100 percent discount on their monthly fixed service charges for water and/or wastewater. Customers who qualify for the service charge discount may also be eligible to receive an additional discount off the monthly distribution system infrastructure surcharge (DSIC), based on their meter size.

New Jersey American Water is also offering qualifying customers a new water-saving kit to help them reduce their usage, which helps reduce the volumetric charges on their bills.

Customers interested in learning more about the program and its qualifications are encouraged to contact the program administrator, NJ SHARES, directly at 877-NJAWH2O (652-9426), or online at www.njshares.org. 

Additionally, New Jersey American Water offers payment arrangements and budget billing for customers who need assistance paying their bills but may not qualify for the H2O Program. Customers who would like to explore these options are encouraged to call the Customer Service Center at 800-272-1325.

Utility Assistance Week is being promoted by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to help educate residents about the many utility payment assistance programs available. For more information, visit www.nj.gov/dca/dcaid.

New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.8 million people. For more information, visit www.newjerseyamwater.com and follow New Jersey American Water on Twitter and Facebook.

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable, and reliable water services to our customers to help make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.