On December 18, 2018, the DC Council passed the DC Water Consumer Protection Amendment Act of 2018. The Bill was the culmination of years of efforts to improve the experience between DC Water and its customers frustrated by escalating water and sewer rates and charges attributed to critically needed infrastructure improvements and repairs. The Bill became law on April 11, 2019.
Timeline for DC Water Legislation
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| January 9, 2018 | Chairman Mendelson along with Councilmembers T. White, R. White, Todd, Bonds, McDuffie, and Gray and Co-Sponsor(s) Councilmembers Grosso, Allen, and Nadeau Introduce the DC WATER CONSUMER PROTECTION AMENDMENT ACT OF 2018 |
| January 9, 2018 | The Bill was referred to the Committee on Transportation and the Environment with comments from the Committee on Business and Economic Development |
| July 12, 2018 | Councilmember Mary M. Cheh, Chairperson of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, held a public hearing on B22-662, the DC Water Consumer Protection Amendment Act of 2018. |
| November 27, 2019 | The Committee on Transportation and the Environment voted in support of the legislation with some key changes: |
| 7 KEY CHANGES TO THE DC WATER LEGISLATION | |
| 1. Committee made some clarifying changes to OPC's authority | |
| 2. Expands the amount of time DC Water has to respond to inquiries from OPC from 14 days to 14 business days. | |
| 3. Requires OPC to prepare a study of DC Water's billing activities, meter reading accuracy, and customer service operations | |
| 4. Requires a working group comprised of representatives from DC Water, OPC, and the Department of Energy and Environment to develop a Consumer Bill of Rights that delineates the rights and responsibilities of DC Water and its customers for consideration and enactment by DC Water. | |
| 5. Revises the requirements for rate-setting hearings to provide 45 days' notice, based on OPC's testimony that the current rules do not provide adequate time to assess proposed rates | |
| 6. Removes the requirement that DC Water gives OPC's comments "great weight" at rate-setting hearings and instead requires only that DC Water provide a response in its order setting rates explaining why it accepted or rejected any recommendations submitted by the OPC. | |
| 7. requires that DC Water publish a description of consumer complaints on its website. | |
| December 4, 2019 | Passes first Reading by the Council of the District of Columbia |
| December 18, 2019 | Passes final Reading by the Council of the District of Columbia |
| January 23, 2019 | Transmitted to Mayor Bowser for consideration |
| February 7, 2019 | Mayor Bowser approves the legislation |
| February 28, 2019 | Transmitted to Congress for 30-day congressional review period |
| April 11, 2019 | Law goes into effect |
| April 29, 2019 | OPC hires Water Division staff |