SSWSC – COVID-19 Informational Bulletin #1

by Herb Williams, General Manager

March 27, 2020

Everyone here at S.S. Water Supply Corporation hopes that our Members, customers, and surrounding communities are staying healthy and doing as well as can be done during this uncertain time.

S.S. Water Supply Corporation is a Member-owned Corporation that does not receive taxpayer funds.  To put this another way, the only regular source of income the Corporation receives comes from water sales to our Members and customers.  We are acutely aware of the challenges that our Membership has or will see in the coming weeks due to the economic slowdown.  The Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) recently took action to address this concern, but it only applies to those utilities that have their rates set by the PUC.  S.S. Water is proposing to its Board of Directors to take action that is similar in spirit to the PUC’s in the hopes to help our Members who may be having financial difficulties.  Specifically, we will propose to temporarily suspend water service cut-off to those Members who are delinquent in paying water bills that total no more than $75.00, and we will immediately stop adding late fees to those Member’s bills who contact us and let us know that they are impacted.  The full measure of this proposal will be presented to the Board of Directors at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting on April 13^th, 2020 at 7:30pm.  The proposal will specify that the temporary suspension of late fees and water meter cut-off rules will not be automatic, but must be requested by the account owner and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  All account holders requesting relief will have their accounts reviewed to ensure that the other Members on the system do not subsidize fraudulent or unwarranted relief requests, and that all account holders receiving this relief will also agree to follow the strictest water conservation efforts.  Lastly, all water revenue will continue to accrue with the expectation it will eventually become due.

As published previously, we need everyone to conserve as much water as possible, since we don’t know how long this situation will last.  We are currently maintaining normal levels of service, but there are many things outside of our control that could change that; like reduced access to water treatment chemicals.  Please monitor your water usage, and be vigilant for possible water leaks.  While our system can detect continuous consumption in most cases, it is ultimately up to the Member to be aware of any issues in their water distribution system.

Again, we want to stress to those Members needing help with paying water bills or those who might be needing help in the near future to please contact our office as soon as possible so our staff can work with you.  Our office lobby is currently closed, but our drive-thru remains open and our Staff can still be reached by telephone or email Monday-Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Respectfully,

Herb Williams