(2/28/2020) - The Great Lakes Water Authority has approved an additional $471,000 to help customers in the city of Flint pay their water bills.

The funding is part of $1.6 million provided to the authority's Water Residential Assistance Program. Detroit customers are eligible for more than $1.1 million of financial assistance.

“We are proud to offer our member partner communities this program, as it not only provides financial support, but it also puts enrolled households on a path toward self-sufficiency through the conservation education and assistance provided,” said Sue F. McCormick, Chief Executive Officer of GLWA.

The program provides a $25 monthly credit for current water bills and suspends any past due bills for one to two years. Participants also can apply for up to $700 for past due balances.

Water customers also can apply for funding to replace kitchen and bathroom faucets installed before 1986, when all plumbing fixtures were required to eliminate lead.

The Water Residential Assistance Program provided nearly 700 home water use audits, more than 1,000 repairs, hundreds of plumbing fixture upgrades to reduce water use and water bill relief in the past year.

Eligible residents on the city of Flint water system can apply to the program by calling 313-386-9727. Residents in other Genesee County communities are not eligible, because they receive water from a different source.