Keep clean water flowing by helping low-income water, wastewater consumers bills

Fiscal Year 2024 federal budget priorities are currently being hashed out on Capitol Hill. The coming weeks will bring much debate about what funding should be included in the spending plan.

As funding for the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is set to dry up, providing federal dollars to ensure that all Americans have access to our most valuable natural resource must be a key part of those budget conversations.

In 2021, Congress provided $1.138 billion to establish LIHWAP to assist customers struggling to pay their bills as a result of COVID-19 and the economic turmoil that followed. As the first federal program to assist low-income families with their water and wastewater bills, LIHWAP has been a success, aiding more than 430,000 households.

Many take water service for granted, never giving it a second thought when they turn the tap. But not everyone is that fortunate — a low-income water assistance program means helping our neighbors in need maintain service. It means that more Americans will know that when they turn the faucet, they will have the water needed to cook, bathe, flush the toilet, do laundry and more.

The water needs of customers are no less important than their energy needs; in fact, I would argue they are more important because you cannot live without water.

Lack of running water makes it exponentially more difficult — if not impossible — for people to stay in their homes for sanitary reasons, regardless of whether they have access to heating and cooling.

Yet, Congress created a low-income energy assistance program decades ago, providing over $140 billion in funding over the years, with $12 billion of that coming since the start of the pandemic.

Unlike the energy program, LIHWAP does not have a dedicated funding stream in the federal budget. And because the existing appropriation was provided under COVID relief bills, it is set to expire when the money runs out, which is on track to occur later this year.

The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) and its member companies believe it is imperative that Congress and the Biden Administration take action to provide continued funding for a dedicated, stand-alone water assistance program as part of this year’s budget so low-income households do not lose access to this critical help.

We can — and must — do more to help our most vulnerable neighbors maintain access to these critical services. We applaud U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for taking the lead on calling calls for continued LIHWAP funding. Communities across America rely on water systems to provide safe drinking water, nourish our families, run our homes and businesses and more.

While COVID-19 was the impetus for a federal water and wastewater assistance program for low-income individuals and households, the need was there before the pandemic and, most certainly, that need is ongoing.

The men and women who work for America’s water companies are personally invested in ensuring that the water is clean, safe and reliable when we turn on our taps in the communities where we serve and live. They also have seen firsthand how LIHWAP has proven to be successful in getting assistance to their neighbors who need it the most.

Including funding for LIHWAP in the 2024 budget will ensure that Americans who need help paying their bills do not see a lapse in the assistance they require to maintain water and wastewater service.

It is imperative that Congress and the Biden administration take action to continue to fund LIHWAP while working to establish a permanent low-income assistance program so that the most vulnerable households have a lifeline when they are struggling.

Robert F. Powelson is the president and CEO of the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC). He joined NAWC after serving on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Powelson previously served on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission from 2008-2017, spending four years as Commission chairman. Powelson is the past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and chairman of NARUC Committee on Water.