Trenton, N.J. — Trenton Water Works (TWW) announced today that it is temporarily suspending its practice of shutting off residential customers for bill nonpayment. This is to comply with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Winter Termination Program.
"It is TWW's policy not to shut off customers for nonpayment during the winter months," said Sean Semple, Director of the city's Department of Water and Sewer. "However, we will continue to send shutoff notices to delinquent commercial accounts and disconnect services as needed."
DCA's Winter Termination Program prevents service discontinuation for eligible residential customers receiving electric, sewer, and water service from a local authority, municipal utility, or rural electric cooperative from November 15 through March 15.
Utility services cannot disconnect residential customers during this period who demonstrate at the time of the intended termination that they are:
* Recipients of benefits under the Federal Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) or certified as eligible therefore under standards set by the New Jersey Department of Human Services.
* Recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
* Recipients of Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
* Recipients of Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD).
* Recipients of General Assistance (GA) benefits.
* Recipients of the Universal Service Fund (USF).
* Recipients of the Low-income Household Water Assistance Program.
* Recipients of benefits under the Lifeline Credit Program.
* Persons unable to pay their utility bills because of circumstances beyond their control. Such circumstances include, but are not be limited to: unemployment, illness, medically related expenses, recent death of an immediate family member, and any other circumstances that might cause financial hardship.
* A participant in any other state or local program that assists, specifically, to help eligible customers pay electric, sewer, or water bills.
“We will assist our customers experiencing payment challenges with flexible installment agreements," added Semple. "All you need to do is phone Customer Care at 1-866-TWW-BLUE or visit our office at 333 Cortland Street in Trenton to speak to a customer-service representative."
Purchased by the City of Trenton in 1859, the TWW system grew by constructing the open Pennington Avenue Reservoir in 1899 and the original Water-Filtration Plant in 1914. In the last 50 years, TWW infrastructure has undergone numerous capital improvements into a sprawling system consisting of a Water-Filtration Plant, an open reservoir, three pump stations, more than 8,000 valves, 3,578 fire hydrants, and six interconnections between TWW and other water suppliers.
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