Under Senate Bill 998 (SB 998), effective February 1, 2020, residential water service cannot be disconnected for non-payment if ALL the following conditions are met:

• Certification of Life-Threatening Condition: The customer, or their tenant, provides the District, with a certification from a primary care provider stating that discontinuing water service would be life-threatening or pose a serious health and safety risk to a resident at the service address.
• Financial Hardship Criteria: Customers must demonstrate financial inability to pay for residential water service within the District's normal billing cycle. This includes:
  • Any member of the customer’s household is a current recipient of CalWORKs, CalFresh, general assistance, Medi-Cal, Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment Program, or California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), or
  • Customer declares in writing, on a District provided form, that the household’s annual income is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
• Amortization Agreement (Payment Plan): At the discretion of the District, customer enters into an amortization agreement (payment plan).
  • At the sole discretion of the District an alternative payment schedule or reduced payment options may be offered (not to exceed 12 months).

Water Service Disconnection Appeal Form

Annual Shutoffs

SB 998 mandates that water systems disclose the annual number of residential service discontinuations due to non-payment on their websites. In 2024, Diablo Water District disconnected service for 367 residential customers due to non-payment.

Diablo Water District Reg. 7 - Conditions Of Water Service