Water bill assistance programs in Connecticut
If you are behind on a water bill in Connecticut, or a shutoff notice has arrived, the first call to make is to your water company. Both of the state's big water companies, Aquarion and Connecticut Water, have real assistance programs, and a Connecticut nonprofit gives out water bill grants for their customers. Calling before the account goes further behind gives you the most options.
Honesty up front: help with water bills is harder to find than help with heat or electric bills. There is no open government program in Connecticut paying water bills right now, and the charity money that does exist is limited and can run out during the year. This page covers the assistance programs at Aquarion and Connecticut Water, the nonprofit grants available to their customers, the current status of government water help, and what to do if your water comes from a town or regional utility instead.
Aquarion Water Company assistance programs
Aquarion serves customers across a large part of Connecticut. The company runs a low-income discount called LIRAP, short for Low-Income Rate Assistance Program. If your household income qualifies, a percentage discount may be applied to your water bill for a year at a time, and you would need to verify your income again to keep it going.
Aquarion customers may also apply for a one-time voucher toward a past-due balance. There are two levels of voucher help - a smaller amount when an account is starting to fall behind, and a larger amount when the balance has grown or a shutoff notice has been issued. The vouchers and the LIRAP applications are handled by a nonprofit called Generation Power CT, which is covered in its own section below.
If you cannot qualify for either of those, ask Aquarion about a Flexible Payment Plan, which spreads a past-due balance out over time. Setting up a plan can also stop a scheduled shutoff, usually with a small first payment. And one safety note straight from the company: Aquarion says it will never call you to demand a payment over the phone. If someone does, hang up and call the number printed on your bill.
Details and eligibility rules are on the Aquarion customer assistance programs page at https://www.aquarionwater.com/customer-service/customer-assistance-programs, or call the company at 1-800-732-9678.
Connecticut Water Company programs - WRAP and H2O
Connecticut Water runs a discount program called WRAP, the Water Rate Assistance Program. Customers whose income qualifies may get a percentage taken off each water bill, with larger discounts for lower incomes. Late payment charges are waived while you are in the program, both renters and homeowners with the account in their name may apply, and you re-verify your income every couple of years to stay enrolled.
For customers who are already behind, the company runs the H2O - Help 2 Our Customers program. If you qualify, Connecticut Water may credit a large share of your past-due balance, waive shutoff and turn-on fees along with interest, and set up a payment arrangement for what remains. You would be expected to keep up with the arrangement and with new bills as they come.
Connecticut Water customers may also apply for a one-time bill payment voucher through Generation Power CT, the same nonprofit that handles Aquarion's vouchers. And separate from all of the income-based programs, the company offers interest-free payment plans that any struggling customer can ask about.
For any of these, start with the Connecticut Water WRAP page at https://www.ctwater.com/service-billing/your-bill/pay-your-bill/financial-support/water-rate-assistance-program-wrap/, the H2O program page at https://www.ctwater.com/service-billing/your-bill/pay-your-bill/financial-support/h2o-help-2-our-customers-program/ or call 1-800-286-5700. Income verification for the discount and hardship programs is done through a local social service agency, a community action agency, or Generation Power CT.
Water bill grants from Generation Power CT
Generation Power CT is the statewide nonprofit that used to be called Operation Fuel. It gives out water bill grants for customers of Aquarion, Connecticut Water, and the MDC, the water utility for the Hartford region. Unlike its heating grants, which only open a few times a year, water applications are accepted year-round until the money for each company runs out.
The grants are one-time payments applied to a past-due water balance. To qualify, your household income has to fall under limits tied to state income figures that change each year, and for some of the programs you need to show you made at least a few payments on the account over the past year. You will be asked for proof of income and a current copy of the water bill in your name.
Funding for each company's program is separate, and any of them can pause when the money is used up until new funding arrives. Apply online at the Generation Power CT water assistance page at https://gpct.org/water/, or get help with the application at one of its support centers around the state. The office can be reached at 860-243-2345. The same organization also gives heating and electric bill grants - read about those on the NHPB page covering Generation Power CT, formerly Operation Fuel.
One thing to know for renters: all of these company and nonprofit programs are for the person named on the water account. If the water bill is in your landlord's name, they will not apply to you directly, and your options are the rent-related programs on this site instead.
If your water comes from a town or regional utility
Many Connecticut households do not buy water from Aquarion or Connecticut Water. Their water comes from a city or town water department, a regional authority, or a small local system, and their sewer charges come from a town or a water pollution control authority. The programs above generally do not cover those bills.
If that is your situation, call the office that sends the bill and ask two questions: whether they offer a payment plan, and whether they have any hardship or assistance fund. Some of the public systems run their own help programs, and billing offices can usually pause a shutoff while a plan is worked out. Dialing 2-1-1 or searching 211 Connecticut at https://www.211ct.org can also turn up any water or sewer help that exists in your specific town. Community action agencies are also worth knowing either way, and there is a full list on the NHPB page about community action agencies in Connecticut.
Other places that may help
Community action agencies, town social service offices, and churches sometimes help with a water bill, usually when a shutoff is close and the household has children, a senior, or someone with a health condition. This kind of help is not common and the amounts tend to be small, so treat it as a backup rather than a plan. Community action agencies are also worth knowing either way, and there is a full list on the NHPB page about community action agencies in Connecticut.
If someone in your home has a serious medical condition, tell the water company right away and ask what protections apply to your account. And since a water crisis rarely travels alone, the state's heating and electric programs may free up money for the water bill - see the NHPB guide to utility and energy bill assistance in Connecticut, or the wider list of Connecticut financial assistance and help with bills/
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