Water Sector News

https://wjla.com/news/local/utility-bills-winter-options

As we enter the cold winter months, the last thing you want is to have your power cut off, especially at a time when so many children need electricity for distance learning at home. But the reality is, that could start happening soon to many households in the D.C. area.

Hundreds of thousands of customers have fallen behind on their bills. Water, gas, and electric utility companies are reporting a sharp increase in the number of late payments and delinquent accounts.

A moratorium in Maryland on utility shutoffs and late fees ended on Sunday, and this week customers will begin to get stern notices. More than 135,000 Pepco customers are late on their payments out of 582,000 customers. WSSC Water has seen an increase of about 85% in late payments during the pandemic.