EBMUD to Enforce Penalties

If you are behind on your East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) bill, prepare to have your water restricted or have a lien placed against you.

EBMUD officials visited Monday night’s meeting of the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) to talk about their plan to begin enforcement against delinquent customers.

Before the pandemic, the utility district would shut off water for non-payment, theft, or tampering. During the pandemic, EBMUD would not turn off water or do any enforcement for health reasons, but as of October 1, they will, starting with the oldest and highest overdue bills.

Previously, customers were in a total of $2 million to $3 million, but that figure has ballooned to more than $20 million in the past few years, according to Rolando Gonzalez, EBMUD Community Affairs Representative.

“This (non-payment problem) is growing and we need to address it,” said Gonzalez. “We’ve got people not paying because they think others will subsidize it.”

Per state law, EBMUD cannot raise rates to pay off the deficit. Homeowners will have a lien placed on their property tax; renters of single-family homes will have flow restrictors placed that reduce the normal flow of water of 15 gallons per minute to a half gallon per minute. Multi-unit apartments would not be affected.

The half gallon per minute flow provides enough water for basic needs like cooking and bathing, Gonzalez said. Washers, irrigation systems, and other water-based appliances cannot be used if a flow is limited.

Gonzalez says that throttling water or placing liens is a measure of last resort and that EBMUD exhausted all options to get federal relief and have made many attempts to collect from delinquent customers. 

The affected customers are all over 97 days past due on the bills and EBMUD says that they can arrange payment plans and assistance programs so people can get their debts paid down. They will not be charging interest on the debts, but there is a $7 per billing cycle late fee for missed payments, which could be waived in certain circumstances.

“East Bay MUD has one of, if not the most, generous customer assistance programs” said Gonzalez. “The whole purpose is to have the customers contact us and we will work with them.”

EBMUD said that about 96 percent of customers pay their water bills on time, but 416 accounts in Castro Valley are in arrears. 

Mona Favorite-Hill, EBMUD Senior Community Affairs Representative, said that one of the biggest past due bills is $36,000 for a “mansion in the hills,” so this is not necessarily a problem for low-income residents only.

MAC Vice-Chair Bill Mulgrew said that he was worried about renters who might not even know their bills aren’t being paid. The person whose name is on the account is responsible for the bill. Mulgrew added that a half gallon per minute seemed like “torture” to him.

Favorite-Hill responded that a half gallon was better than no water at all and that EBMUD is one of just four agencies in the county that do not do full water shut offs.

MAC Chair Chuck Moore asked that EBMUD representatives come back before the MAC in three months to report on their progress in collecting debts.

EBMUD says that anyone behind on their bill should reach out to them at (866) 403-2683 to avoid penalties.

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