California Water and Wastewater Arrearages Payment Program (CWWAPP)
Published on February 10, 2022
What is the California Water and Wastewater Arrearages Payment Program (CWWAPP) Bill Credit?
Established by the California Legislature in the 2021-22 State Budget, CWWAPP dedicates $985 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to reduce Californian's water and wastewater debts. Qualifying customers do not need to apply, as CWWAPP funds will be disbursed by City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) direct application of a credit to their applicable utility account. CPAU has identified those customers qualifying for a CWWAPP credit from having unpaid utility water and wastewater bills over 60 days past due that were originally incurred between March 4, 2020, and June 15, 2021. These accounts and balances have been reported by CPAU to the State Water Board’s CWWAPP administrators along with a request for funding.
Highest priority for available program funding will be for residential and commercial customer water bills, with leftover funding applied to residential and commercial wastewater bills from the qualifying period. Unfortunately, CPAU customers having already paid their water and wastewater bills from the qualifying period are not eligible for retroactive CWWAPP bill credits.
How will I know if I qualified for CWWAPP?
Customers that qualify for the CWWAPP benefit will automatically receive a credit on their City of Palo Alto utilities bill. The credit will be labeled “CWWAPP Credit.” CPAU customers don’t need to apply to receive a CWWAPP credit as CPAU has already applied on behalf of all eligible customers. Because of the program prioritization of water bills over wastewater bills, exact credit amounts by customer account are yet to be determined.
What if I still owe money on my Palo Alto Utilities bill after CWWAPP?
In addition to CWWAPP, the State of California may also be able to help through the following programs:
Payment Arrangements for Unpaid Balances (Arrearages)
Under CWWAPP program provisions, CPAU is required to offer payment arrangement plans to those customers having a remaining balance after the CWWAPP benefit has been applied to their account. CPAU will also waive late fees and accrued interest for customers awarded a CWWAPP benefit. CPAU will not disconnect a CWWAPP recipient’s utility service for at least 90 days after a CWWAPP benefit is applied, regardless of the balance owed. Contact the City of Palo Alto Utilities Customer Service at (650) 329-2161 or email UtilitiesCustomerService@cityofpaloalto.org to establish a payment arrangement or learn about other CPAU programs to reduce your water costs.