Water4All is a new water discount program designed to provide more equitable access to financial assistance for eligible Baltimore City residents who need help paying their water bills.  This new water assistance program provides a monthly discount for water and sewer costs based on a percentage of residents’ income. For the first time, tenants who do not directly pay their water bills are eligible to apply for water payment assistance.

The Water4All assistance program was created under the comprehensive Water Accountability and Equity Act that provides assistance, rights, and protections for water and wastewater customers.

Water4All Eligibility

The  Water4All program uses a formula to calculate the maximum amount residents should pay for annual water and sewer services, based on a percentage of their annual household income. The maximum percentage could be 1 percent, 2 percent, or 3 percent, depending on income and household size. The difference between this calculated maximum amount and a resident’s estimated annual water and sewer bill amount would determine their annual discount.

The water discount program is open to Baltimore City residents with income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level guidelines. That would be close to $55,500 a year for a four-member household.

In addition, residents must be:

• Homeowners whose name is on the water bill.
• Tenants whose name is on the water bill and who pay the city directly for water and sewer services.
• Tenants whose name is NOT on the water bill, who do NOT pay the City directly for water and sewer service, and who can provide both:
  • A lease that clearly states the tenant is responsible for paying water and sewer services separately from the rent; and
  • A lease that clearly states the amount to be paid monthly by the tenant for those services or a copy of the monthly invoice for water and sewer services from the landlord or the landlord's management company.

Now Accepting Applications

The Water4All Program is fully operational and accepting applications. A fillable application is available online by clicking here. Applicants who wish to receive a paper copy can call 410-396-5555.

Residents who have completed the Water4All “Expression of Interest form” (EOI) should use the Water4All (WFA) reference identification (ID) they were given when applying for the new assistance program.

Water4All replaces the BH₂O Assists and BH₂O Plus assistance programs. Residents currently enrolled in one of these two programs are encouraged to apply for assistance under Water4All. Residents who continue to use BH₂O assistance will need to apply for Water4All before the end of their annual BH₂O coverage to receive uninterrupted water and sewer billing assistance.

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