Department of Environmental Protection Announces Enhanced Customer Service Programs

Monthly E-Billing and Flexible Appointment “Windows” Now Available to DEP Customers

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently announced two new customer service programs that will make it easier for customers to manage their bills, including an option to pay monthly online, and a more flexible way to schedule an appointment with a DEP inspector.

DEP customers can now enroll in monthly e-Billing and those whose stay enrolled for three consecutive months will automatically receive a one-time $10 credit on their water bill. By switching to monthly e-Billing, homeowners can manage their water and sewer bills more effectively and receive more frequent information about their water usage, which enables them to more quickly detect higher-than-normal water consumption from an undetected leak. E-Billing is a convenient and environmentally friendly way to receive a water bill. Instead of a paper bill in the mail, customers will receive an email notification when their next bill is due. Homeowners will also be able to view their current and past bills by accessing their My DEP Account. To sign up for a My DEP Account call DEP’s Customer Service Call Center at (718) 595-7000 or visit nyc.gov/dep. The MY DEP Account is also available as a smartphone app for iOS and Android.

In addition, customers now have the option to schedule an appointment with a DEP inspector that works best with their daily schedule. Appointment options include: 7:00am–9:00am, 9:00am–1:00pm, 1:00pm–5:00pm, or 5:00pm–7:00pm. Customers who provide DEP with an email address will also receive confirmation and cancellation notices and reminder emails for upcoming appointments.

Last year, DEP introduced a number of additional customer service improvements including freezing the minimum charge for customers who use less than 100 gallons of water each day. This resulted in roughly 25 percent of single family homes, many of them owned by seniors, seeing no water rate increase. The City also funded a Home Water Assistance Program to aid low-income homeowners and DEP expanded the leak forgiveness program, which has saved customers more than $73 million in leak-related water charges since 2011.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of high quality water each day to more than 9 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the upstate watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $157 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with nearly $14 billion in investments planned over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.