Phoenix to postpone water service shutoffs for nonpayment due to rising COVID cases

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PHOENIX — The city of Phoenix announced Wednesday it will postpone a plan that would have resumed water shutoffs next month for past due accounts, citing the continued rise in COVID-19 cases.

The Phoenix Water Services Department announced Monday that shutoffs for nonpayments would resume in February, with officials saying the city has different financial assistance programs for customers who qualify.

Phoenix instead decided to postpone that plan and keep providing low-flow service for delinquent customers who are not participating in the city’s financial assistance programs, according to a press release.

The Phoenix City Council voted in March 2020 to restore water to all residential customers regardless of account statuses due to the pandemic.

There are more than 17,000 delinquent residential accounts that owe approximately $10 million, the city said. Overall, more than 1.5 million residents receive water from the city.

People who cannot afford to pay their water bill are asked to call the city at 602-262-6251, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to speak with a customer service representative about assistance programs available.

Phoenix Water Services has been paying two-thirds of an outstanding bill for accounts that qualify once the customer pays one-third of the bill, the city said.

The Phoenix City Council also voted Wednesday to permanently stop charging late fees for residential customers after water service is placed on low-flow or shut-off.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging across the state, fueled by the omicron variant of the virus.

Arizona on Wednesday reported more than 7,000 new COVID cases for the sixth time in the last seven days, while inpatients in hospitals have increased by nearly 12% over the first four days of the year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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