4/21/2022 UPDATE:
On May 2, 2022, Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) will return to the pre-pandemic practice of water bill and utility shutoffs for delinquent accounts and late fees for past due balances. Help is available to assist customers with outstanding balances.

GCWW encourages customers with past due bills to ENROLL in a PAYMENT PLAN and for those who qualify to APPLY TODAY for Emergency Assistance.

To assist customers who are still struggling to pay past due bills, GCWW has implemented a new payment plan and bill assistance program to reduce or eliminate delinquent balances. These programs have already helped thousands of customers pay down or pay off overdue utility bills, including water, sewer, and stormwater charges for City of Cincinnati residents. Once utility shutoffs resume, customers who have enrolled and continue to use the programs available will be removed from the shutoff list.

“We want as many customers as possible to set up payment plans and seek assistance through all available programs,” said GCWW Executive Director Cathy Bailey. “While we are returning to water shutoffs and late fees, we want all customers to know their bills do not need to leave them in a bind. Help is available!”

A water shutoff moratorium and the discontinuation of late fees were put in place in March of 2020 to assist with unprecedented COVID-related hardships and ensure access to clean drinking water to promote public health and safety during the pandemic.

GCWW bills residents for utility services, including various combinations of water, sewer, stormwater, and trash charges depending on the location served. Of approximately 243,000 accounts, nearly 40,000 had overdue balances at the height of the pandemic, with 14,000 of those currently eligible for a shutoff. Since that time, the number of those eligible for shutoff has gone down to approximately 3,400 customers.

Customers can set up interest-free payment plans through GCWW’s PromisePay portal (GCWW.promise-pay.com) as well as apply/qualify for financial assistance through available pandemic relief funds (513relief.org or Assistance.myGCWW.org). Customers with past due bills who are eligible for shutoff will receive direct communications notifying them of the options available to avoid shutoff.

Letters, text messages, and phone calls have been made to impacted customers alerting them to the changes taking place. 

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3/30/2022 UPDATE:
Due to the recent outage experienced by the utility, the date to return to shutoffs, and late fees has been rescheduled to May 2, 2022.

GCWW will return to the pre-pandemic practice of water bill and utility shutoffs for delinquent accounts and late fees for past due balances. Help is available to assist customers with outstanding balances.

To assist customers who are still struggling to pay past due bills, GCWW has implemented a new payment plan and bill assistance program to reduce or eliminate delinquent balances. These programs have already helped thousands of customers pay down or pay off overdue utility bills, including water, sewer, and stormwater charges for City of Cincinnati residents. Once utility shutoffs resume, customers who have enrolled and continue to use the programs available will be removed from the shutoff list.  

“While we are returning to water shutoffs and late fees, we want all customers to know their bills don’t need to leave them in a bind,” said GCWW Executive Director Cathy Bailey. “Help is available!”

A water shutoff moratorium and the discontinuation of late fees were put in place in March of 2020 to assist with unprecedented COVID-related hardships and ensure access to clean drinking water to promote public health and safety during the pandemic.

Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) bills residents for utility services, including various combinations of water, sewer, stormwater, and trash charges depending on the location served. Of approximately 240,000 residential and commercial accounts, nearly 40,000 have overdue balances, and nearly 14,000 of those are currently eligible for a shutoff.

PAYMENT ASSISTANCE OPTIONS - Help is available to customers with outstanding balances.

Customers can set up interest-free payment plans through GCWW’s PromisePay portal (GCWW.promise-pay.com) as well as apply/qualify for financial assistance through available pandemic relief funds (513relief.org or Assistance.myGCWW.org). Customers with past due bills who are eligible for shutoff will receive direct communications notifying them of the options available to avoid shutoff.

Letters and text messages have been sent to impacted customers alerting them to the changes taking place.

GCWW encourages everyone to ENROLL in a PAYMENT PLAN and for those who qualify to APPLY TODAY for Emergency Assistance.