The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides one-time financial assistance to help Californians struggling to pay overdue residential water or wastewater bills. LIHWAP is funded by the federal government and administered by the California Department of Community Services and Development (CSD). Through LIHWAP, CSD works with a network of community-based local service providers to help low-income households pay down their outstanding water and wastewater utility bills.

Eligible households with past due residential water and wastewater bills can begin applying for LIHWAP assistance in June 2022.

See the attached flyer for more information.

Updates

Beginning today (March 14, 2023), the Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) has raised the maximum benefit for LIHWAP Arrearage Assistance from $2,000 to $15,000. Local Service Providers (LSPs) can now approve applications for assistance with past-due bills that exceed $2,000. (Please note that this increase to the maximum LIHWAP Arrearage Assistance benefit is not retroactive. Customers that had arrearages exceeding $2,000, but already received a $2,000 benefit, are not eligible for an additional LIHWAP benefit.)

To request an application, please visit https://www.energyservices.org/LIHWAP/.