Credit: Tom Sofield/NewHopeFreePress.com
Customers of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority have shared their confusion and frustration after recent utility bills and an inability to reach customer service representatives.
Advertisements
Readers and social media users have reported the problems over the past week.
The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority serves local residential and commercial water and sewer accounts in New Hope Borough and Solebury Township.
The authority delayed issuing bills in May when the new billing platform went live.
Advertisements
The delay created a one-month billing lag, with May bills issued in June, June bills sent in July, and July bills released in August. Regular monthly scheduling resumed when August bills were sent out in August, according to the authority.
During the initial two months after the launch, some customers in Doylestown and Middletown were billed only the standard flat base rate that covers connection to the system before water usage is added.
Advertisements
Once standard billing resumed, the base rate and usage charges, which are calculated from the volume of water consumed, were applied to subsequent statements, Brian Dries, a spokesperson for the authority, told the New Hope Free Press.
To catch customers up on the unbilled usage charges from those two months, the authority processed two months of billing in August. That catch-up process caused higher total amounts due on recent bills.
Dries said the authority is aware of the confusion from customers and has provided information.
Advertisements
Due to the issues, the authority announced that affected customers have until Nov. 30, 2026, to pay the outstanding unbilled usage charges from those first two months. No interest or penalties will be charged during the extension period, Dries said.
In a written document shared by State Sen. Frank Farry, the authority admitted the issues with its customer support phone line, stating that representatives are working to answer billing questions, assist customers, and ensure accounts are activated in the new system.
“We understand that our customer service line is experiencing a high volume of calls, and we sincerely apologize for the difficulty some customers have had reaching us,” the authority said in the statement.
Dries said more than 35,000 customers have created accounts in the new system.
The new online portal allows customers to view bills, monitor water usage history, and make payments online.
