What is SouthWest Water and its subsidiaries doing to ensure customers are protected from COVID-19?
Scam Alert: Please know that it is not possible to test for COVID-19 within water supply, especially not at your residence. If someone approaches you to test your water for COVID-19, do not provide them any personal information and contact your local law enforcement.
We are carefully monitoring the state and national advisories regarding COVID-19. We are also taking precautionary steps to protect the health of our employees and customers.
- Our Customer Care will still be readily available by email at TXCustomerCare@swwc.com or by phone at 866.654.7992. We apologize in advance for delays on this number as we have modified our staffing plan and instituted a telecommuting program out of concern for the safety of our employees.
- Remember, the following options are always available to pay your bill: https://www.swwc.com/texas/pay/
- We have shared with our employees the preventative measures provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how they can minimize the risk of catching COVID-19.
- We have robust emergency operations and business continuity plans that include the possibility of a pandemic. We have already and will continue to update them for COVID-19, as necessary, to meet our service obligations to our customers and communities.
If you mail in payments, we are taking measures to ensure your account won’t be negatively impacted by late fees if there is a mail service delay. We also highly encourage you to consider enrolling in automatic payments to ensure your payment always posts on time.
Your Water Safety
Per the World Health Organization, there is no evidence about the survival of the COVID-19 virus in drinking-water or sewage.’ While there is no known risk to the water supply before or after our rigorous treatment, SouthWest Water Company is taking steps to ensure we can continue monitoring, treating and delivering water to homes and businesses in the event of a severe pandemic. SouthWest Water Company is being vigilant to keep your water safe and flowing.
We are working across the state to follow the guidance of the American Water Works Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect our drinking water and wastewater system operator team from potential exposure and to safeguard their capability to operate and maintain their systems adequately.
We’re Suspending Disconnections
We value our customers and want to make sure they can take care of their families, regardless of their ability to pay. As residents of the communities we serve, we understand that we are all living amidst this public health situation, and we are making decisions out of concern for our customers. In order to prioritize core operations to protect your water, we are suspending all disconnections and collection processes that would normally be made due to delinquent payments on all accounts until further notice.
This decision has been made after thoughtful consideration. By doing so, we are also minimizing employee contact with the public and maintaining our focus on what is needed most at this time—safe, clean and reliable water. Customers will eventually be expected to pay for the water consumed and we are working on making sure this point is understood.
For additional information and ongoing updates on COVID-19, please refer to local and state health departments and the CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) hub.
Other questions you may have:
Are you aware of any employees who have been exposed to COVID-19?
We are not aware of any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 amongst our employees. If this were to change, we would work with state and local public health officials to address the issue and protect the health of employees and customers.
Should I be worried about a possible water outage?
Our operators will be closely monitoring our systems and performing essential tasks to ensure water is safe and flowing. Most causes of outages are unpredictable, but our teams are on alert to be able to handle any issue that may occur. If any outages occur, we will be sure to keep our customers notified and up-to-date.
Should I boil my water?
According to the CDC, COVID-19 has not been detected in drinking water, and conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19. Read more here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html
