Water bills in the U.S. are rising, but residents who struggle to pay them have few options for support, according to new research from CIRES’ Environmental Data Science Innovation and Impact Lab (ESIIL). 

The new work led by Kayleigh Ward, ESIIL postdoctoral researcher and environmental sociologist, used quantitative methods to evaluate water utility customer assistance programs (CAPs) across the U.S. from 2016 to 2025. The results, presented today at the 2025 AGU Annual Meeting, highlight the need for better funding and policy to help close the “water affordability gap.” 

“This research is important because the costs of water continue to rise, but lower-income users can’t keep up,” Ward said. “Having data to show the gaps in support can help advocate for policy.” 

Ward and colleagues at Northeastern University collected quantitative data from 226 utilities in 39 states representing 413 customer assistance programs (CAPs). These programs serve to protect vulnerable households from water poverty. The study evaluated target customers, eligibility criteria and verification practices, the frequency of assistance, and the amount offered to assist low-income customers with their water bills. 

The detailed analysis found that despite rising water costs, water utilities are not responding with sustainable payment support. Instead, they found:  

• Most programs only let people pay later. About two-thirds set up payment plans or deadline extensions instead of lowering the bill.
• True discounts are rare and tiny. The typical discount is less than $15 per billing cycle—far too small to meaningfully help low-income households.
• Applying is hard. Strict paperwork and income rules shut many people out, and one-third of utilities hand off program sign-ups to nonprofits.
• Money runs out fast. Because programs depend on customer donations, funds often          dry up before the year ends.

To help visualize these discrepancies among CAPs across the U.S., Ward and her team are creating a water affordability dashboard. The project is a continuation of her work on water unaffordability at Northeastern University’s Water Poverty and Equity Lab within the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI). The team hopes the study and dashboard shed light on inconsistencies among water utilities’ support programs, offering data to inform policy solutions moving forward. 

“I’m deeply concerned about water unaffordability in the U.S, given the increase in water rates over the past decade,” Ward said. “By the end of the decade, it’s projected that more than one-third of US households will have unaffordable water bills. That’s about double the current rate of 12-17%, depending on the state.” 

Click here to learn more about Kayleigh Ward’s AGU25 poster. 

Learn more about Ward’s work and the H2OPE project.