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The Dripby Danielle Sweeney6:45 pmSep 1, 20150

Only 11 commercial accounts cut off by city in water crackdown

Most of the $28 million recovered has come from residential customers

Above: A typical sidewalk cover for a city water line going to a residential property.

Over the last five months of its crackdown on delinquent water accounts, Baltimore’s Department of Public Works turned off service to only 11 commercial accounts, while nearly 5,000 residents with overdue bills had their service terminated.

During the time frame of March 26 to August 28, the agency has collected $27,896,883 from overdue accounts.

Only $4,901,641 of that sum was from commercial accounts.

Five commercial accounts – and 2,967 residential ones – were eventually restored, according to data provided today by agency spokesman Jeffrey Raymond.

Commercial accounts owed the city more than $15 million, the agency told The Brew earlier this year.

Residential bills also accounted for $15 million, while nonprofits and city government agencies were responsible for $10 million more in overdue accounts.

(Here are two examples involving a program of the Living Classrooms Foundation and a rec center operated by the Department of Recreation and Parks.)

Raymond said he could not provide a separate breakdown for turnoffs and overdue payments recovered from government and nonprofit accounts.

The crackdown on overdue water bills began last March 26 after the Bureau of Water and Wastewater sent out notices to about 21,000 delinquent accounts in the city and 4,000 accounts in Baltimore County.

Since then, Raymond says, the agency has arranged 2,831 payment agreements, made 865 low-income grants, applied 1,217 senior discounts and awarded 1,035 hardship applications that exempted customers from paying Chesapeake Bay restoration and stormwater fees.

Additionally, the agency has held 3,660 water bill dispute conferences as some residents continue to complain of wildly inaccurate bills.

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