The NYC Department of Environment Protection is revising a letter that it sent out to many Queens customers after residents believed that they were being subject to water hikes for allegedly not providing workers with access to their meters.
Councilman Robert Holden shared that his constituents in City Council District 30, which covers Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and parts of Ridgewood, have overwhelmed him with complaints about skyrocketing water bills and claims of service theft.
The calls prompted Holden to take action, penning a letter to DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala on Wednesday, July 31, demanding answers.
“It is imperative that DEP have solid proof to support any accusations of service theft against customers,” the letter reads. “This assurance is essential to maintaining public trust in the fairness and integrity of DEP’s operations.”
The letter goes on to state that Holden’s office emailed a NYC Water Board staffer at the end of last month about the accusations against constituents, but could not obtain a documented answer.
“The DEP’s response to these accusations raises significant concerns,” Daniel Kurzyna, Holden’s Chief of Staff, said in a statement. “There has been no concrete evidence of theft, yet water charges have increased, with additional penalties being threatened. This situation places a financial strain on our residents.”
QNS contacted the DEP for clarification on the matter, and the agency confirmed it received Holden’s letter. The DEP told QNS that it talked with Holden on Friday, Aug. 2, regarding constituent concerns.
The DEP also said that it made it clear that it was not accusing customers of stealing water or services and did not intend to imply any form of theft. The agency did say that a letter sent regarding lead service lines may have caused some confusion.
A lead service line connects the city’s main water line to the inside of a house or property line via a lead pipe. When a lead service line is replaced with a non-lead service line or a brand new line connecting to the city’s main water pipe, a meter must also be installed. A water meter measures how much water a household uses.
“DEP is aware that the letter we sent relating to meters and lead service lines might be causing some confusion with homeowners and we are revising it to make instructions more clear,” the DEP shared in a statement. “We are also reviewing our policy regarding meter installations on lead service lines.”
The DEP has suspended the penalty phase of this policy regarding water meter installations and lead service lines.
Homeowners are responsible for maintaining and replacing their water service lines that connect directly to the City’s water mains if they are not already connected or if an issue is present, so long as it is within the property line. The city recommends replacing lead service lines to avoid common health complications that come from using lead-lined plumbing.
According to the DEP website, lead service line replacements can cost upwards of $8,000. However, a recent program to provide free lead service line replacements in the Bronx for low-income residents is expected to expand with state and federal grants.
