Redway launches water bill assistance program for qualifying households

Redway Community Services District rolled out a Customer Assistance Program that will give approved residential customers a $15 monthly credit. The district says eligibility depends on program rules and available annual funding.

For a household paying Redway's posted minimums, the credit trims the district's $52.67 residential water charge and the $76.46 residential sewer minimum to $114.13 a month instead of $129.13. That works out to about 28.5% of the water minimum and 11.6% of the combined minimum bill, or $180 a year if the credit is applied for 12 months.

Residents seeking the credit can start with the district office at 3168 Redwood Drive in Redway, where staff say they handle billing questions and provide information by phone at 707-923-3101. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the district says customers who need forms or reports should call or stop by in person.

Redway CSD has been operating since 1965, when it formed from a private water system, and reorganized in 1977 to add the former Redway Sanitary District. A 2023 water and sewer rate study prepared with California Rural Water Association and Robert D. Niehaus, Inc. laid out the district's financial planning, revenue requirements and rate-setting pressures.

The district's spring 2025 newsletter said it was reaching out to delinquent accounts and would issue notices and enforce shutoffs for any account with a 60-day unpaid balance, a standard echoed in its nonpayment policy. California's CPUC says some water customers may qualify for income-based discounts or payment plans if shutoff is imminent, while LIHWAP, which once offered one-time credits of up to $2,000 for water and sewer bills, is no longer accepting applications.