In order to help protect the health of our employees and our 1.2 million customers, SCWA has enacted a number of temporary policy changes designed to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
SCWA employees are wearing face coverings during all interactions with the public and following all recommended safety measures during the pandemic.
It is important to know that water service will not be interrupted, nor will the quality of our water be impacted as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the CDC, the COVID-19 virus is not waterborne, and all SCWA water is already treated with chlorine for disinfection purposes.
Understanding that some customers may be experiencing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the SCWA Board has enacted the following policies:
1) All service disconnections due to non-payment have been suspended.
2) All collections calls have been suspended.
4) All late fees as of March 1, 2020 may be waived upon request.
5) SCWA is offering a 12 - month installment plan for past due balances, and a
24 - month installment plan (requiring 30% down payment) for past due balances over $500.00.
“The Suffolk County Water Authority will not shut off water service for failure to pay until further notice to give those of our customers who may be suffering financial hardship during the COVID-19 outbreak one less thing to worry about,” said SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey W. Szabo.
In an effort to limit person-to-person contact, SCWA is limiting public access to SCWA offices.
In addition, the following temporary polices have been put in place effective immediately:
• Beginning Thursday, March 19th the walk-in service counter at the SCWA Customer Care Center in Coram will be temporarily closed. As always, customers are encouraged to pay their bill online at http://SCWA.com or by phone at (631) 698-9500.
• Oakdale Administration Headquarters will allow only individuals with appointments into the building through use of the phone in the vestibule. All others will be allowed to conduct business via the phone only.
• The SCWA Purchasing Department is suspending all in-person public bid openings. All bids and/or proposals shall be delivered by mail, overnight carrier. Bids and/or proposals will be opened by Purchasing department employees. No hand delivery will be accepted. Public openings will be restored in the future. The Great River Purchasing office shall not allow any non-SCWA employees onto the floor unless the individual has an appointment.
• The Bay Shore Production Control office will not allow any non-SCWA employees beyond the vestibule. Any correspondence or payments to SCWA from a customer will be placed in the box inside the vestibule.
• The Oakdale Finance office will not allow any non-SCWA employees into the building unless the individual has an appointment. Any correspondence or payments from a customer should be placed in the box inside the vestibule.
• The Oakdale New Service office will not allow any non-SCWA employee beyond the vestibule. A box has been placed inside the vestibule to allow customers and/or potential customers to leave applications, drawings, checks, and/or any other correspondence for New Service or Cross Connection Control. A list of phone numbers has been posted in the vestibule so that customers can connect to either New Service or Cross Connection for further assistance.
A message will be placed on the New Service call-in line informing people of the changes.
• The Great River Engineering office will not allow any non-SCWA employees into the building unless the individual has an appointment.
• The Westhampton office will not allow any non-SCWA employees into the building unless the individual has an appointment. A box has been placed in the vestibule to allow customers to leave correspondence for SCWA or the Central Pine Barrens Commission.
• All tours of the SCWA Education Center and Laboratory located in Hauppauge have been cancelled until further notice.
• Inspections of trucks requiring hydrant permits will continue on an appointment basis. People requiring an inspection should contact SCWA when they arrive at SCWA at their appointment time. An SCWA employee will go into the parking lot to perform the inspection.
Customers who have questions about the policies listed above may call our Customer Service line at (631) 698-9500, or email Community Outreach Coordinator Seth Wallach at Seth.Wallach@SCWA.com.
We thank you in advance for your understanding. If we all work together, we can prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.