Thousands of St. Louis residents are behind on their water bills, and city officials say they are adjusting a long-running assistance program to make it easier for people to keep their water on and start paying down what they owe.
City leaders recently expanded eligibility and lengthened repayment options for the Water Utility Assistance Program after hearing from residents struggling with past-due balances.
Water shutoffs were paused for nearly five years during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the city resumed discontinuing service for delinquent accounts in September. While customers affected by the May 16 tornado are not facing shutoffs, the number of overdue residential accounts has continued to climb…