New Yorkers struggling to meet their expenses may soon find relief on their water bill.
The city’s Department of Environmental Protection is launching an amnesty program which will provide some relief to households with outstanding balances.
Customers are eligible for the program if they’ve had a delinquent balance of more than $1,000 for more than one year.
If they agree to pay 100% of the principal, then 100% of the interest accrued on that account will be forgiven, according to the city’s DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala.
“During the pandemic, a lot of New Yorkers fell behind on their bills. And DEP, like other utilities, did not do collections,” Aggarwala said on “Mornings On 1” Monday.
“Knowing that a lot of New Yorkers are behind, we think it makes much more sense to help them.”
The commissioner noted that the program, in part, will help the agency avoid raising water rates for New Yorkers while ensuring the reservoirs get the money they need.
The program will work on a sliding scale, with those paying 50% of the principal getting a little less of their interest forgiven, and so on.
Anyone who still has a remaining balance after using the program will be required to agree to a payment plan with the DEP.