Bill Madden 162 Old Mill Rd. West Nyack, N.Y., 10994 Phone:845-620-3353 July 30, 2020 Hon. Michelle L. Phillips Secretary to the Commission New York State Public Service 3 Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12223-1350 Re: DMM Case Number: Case l 7-M-0475 Dear Secretary Phillips: In response to Sharon Alvaro's correspondence of July 10, SUEZ has completed the 2019 Customer Outreach and Education Plan. In addition, an electronic copy of the Plan and the requested samples of customer education materials have been sent to Ms. Sharon Alvaro. Please feel free to contact me if you should have any questions. ~--- Bill Madden Director, External Affairs Cc: Sharon Alvaro SUEZ Water New York OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PLAN 2020 Submitted by Bill Madden July 30, 2020 To Hon. Michelle L. Phillips Secretary to the Commission SUEZ Water New York OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PLAN 2020 Section 1: Utility Information Utility Outreach & Education And Company Officials ……………………………………………………. .4 Service Profiles …………………………………………...…………………………………………………… 5 Budget Information ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 7 Infrastructure Investments and Developments..……………………..…………………………………….. 8 Section 2: Mandated Outreach and Education Outreach & Education Required By Commission Order (Part I)…………………………………………. 10 Outreach & Education Required By Commission Order (Part II)………………………………………… 12 Section 3: Global Outreach and Education Methods Website, Social Media & Mobile Applications…………….………………………………………………... 16 Mass/Blast Notifications (E-Mail, Text, Robo-calls)...……………………………………………………... 18 Utility Outreach Event Schedule ……………………………………………………………………………..20 Customer Assistance Telephone Lines/Call Center………………………………………………………..23 Section 4: Outreach and Education Topics Customer Rights & Responsibilities……………………………………………………………….… …….. 26 Billing Services and Payment Alternatives………………………………………………………….……… 28 Special Needs Customers ……………………………………………………………………...…….…….. 30 Water Quality ……………..……………………………………………………………………...…….…….. 32 Water Conservation ……..……………………………………………………………………...…….…….. 34 Service Interruptions …………………………………………………………………………………….…… 36 Seasonal Outreach …………………………….………………………………………………...……… ...... 38 Infrastructure & Security..……………………………………………………………………………….…… 40 Financial Assistance…. …………………………….………………………………………………...……… 42 Metering ………………………………………... …………………………………………………………….. 44 Other Outreach …………………… …………………………………………………………46 COVID Response …………………… ………………………………………………… 50 Section 5: Employee Outreach and Education Customer Service/Employee Training……..………………………………………………………………. 55 Appendix A: Outreach and Education Events Tracking ……………………………………………………...57 Appendix B: Outreach and Education Materials ……………………………………………………….……..63 2 SUEZ Water New York OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PLAN 2020 Utility Information 3 UTILITY OUTREACH & EDUCATION AND COMPANY OFFICIALS Dates Covered by Plan: From: January 1, 2019 To: December 31, 2019 Outreach and Education (O&E) Liaison to Office of Consumer Services (OCS) Staff: Name: Bill Madden Title: Director, External Affairs Mailing Address: 162 Old Mill Road, West Nyack, NY Email: [email protected] Telephone No. (845) 620-3353 Fax No. (845) 620-3313 Senior Conservation Communications Specialist: Name: Chelsea Wulff Title: Senior Conservation Program Specialist Mailing Address: 162 Old Mill Road, West Nyack, NY 10994 Email: [email protected] Telephone No. (845) 620-6237 Fax No. (845) 620-3313 Director of Outreach and Education: Name: Deb Rizzi Title: Director, Communications & Community Relations Mailing Address: 162 Old Mill Road, West Nyack, NY Email: [email protected] Telephone No. (845) 620-6216 Fax No. (845) 620-3313 President or Chief Executive Officer: Name: Chris Graziano Title: Vice President, NY Division Mailing Address: 162 Old Mill Road, West Nyack, NY Email: [email protected] Telephone No. (845) 620-3352 Fax No. (845) 620-3313 4 SERVICE PROFILES Service Territory: Total number of residential accounts: 72,271 (December 2019) Estimated or known total population in the service territory: Approximately 326,00 Please identify the source of this statistic: US Census Estimates (July 2019) Names of counties served in whole or in part: Rockland, Orange Electronic Access: Total number of customers who participate in online billing: 20,386 (December 2019) Total number of customers using e-mail for utility information and alerts: 26,511 (December 2019) Total number of customers using mobile applications to manage their account: NA Total number of customers using mobile applications to obtain educational information, alerts, etc.: (specify whether web-based or text alert) NA Low Income Customers Estimated number of low-income customers: NA (Note: US Census July 2018 estimates 13.3% of Rockland is at poverty level.) Total number of customers receiving deferred payment agreements: 838 (December 2019) Special Needs Customers Total number of accounts coded 62 or over: NA Total number of accounts coded Elderly/Blind/Disabled: NA Total number of customers coded as medical emergency: NA Total number of customers receiving bills and brochures in Braille: 0 Total number of customers receiving large-print bills: 11 5 Customers with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Languages other than English spoken in the service territory: Spanish, Creole, Yiddish Please identify the source of this information: US Census, https://datausa.io/profile/geo/rockland- county-ny/ How does the utility identify special needs and LEP customers? Special needs customers are self-identified when they complete a special protections card mailed to all customers annually with the Customer Information Guide. They may also self-identify when they speak to customer service representatives. LEP customers may also self-identify. Translation services are available for non-English speaking customers. Does the utility code the customer account once a special needs and/or LEP customer has been identified? Special needs customer accounts can be coded. LEP customers are not identified in our system. How does the utility encourage these customers to identify themselves? All customers receive an annual Customer Information Guide with a special protections form. They may also self-identify when they speak to customer service representatives. LEP customers may also self- identify. Do customer service representatives discuss Special Needs Programs with customers who call to apply for service? This is not discussed unless the customer advises that he or she has special needs. Note: Specific outreach programs targeted to these customers should be discussed in Section 2: Outreach and Education Topics, under the Special Needs page. 6 BUDGET INFORMATION Estimated Outreach & Education Budget for January – December 2020 Total ................................................................................ $ 411,434 Breakdown by Categories Communications/Community Relations .. $ 265,434 Water Quality .......................................... $ 100,500 Events ..................................................... $ 30,500 Conservation……………………………....$ 15,000 Actual Budget for Outreach & Education for January – December 2019: Total ................................................................................ $ 322,429 Breakdown by Categories Communications/Community Relations .. $ 188,427 Water Quality .......................................... $ 95,500 Events ..................................................... $ 23,502 Conservation...........................................$ 15,000 7 INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS Please describe infrastructure investments and any structural or physical developments planned for the year. Indicate whether the Company is conducting public awareness regarding these activities. If outreach is planned, use the Infrastructure/ Security in Section 4 to provide more in-depth information about your public awareness activities regarding this topic. Activity #1: Ongoing water main replacement projects throughout the County. New or On-going Activity: Ongoing Description and Schedule for Planned Activity: SUEZ will be replacing older, undersized water mains throughout the County as part of our Underground Infrastructure Replacement Program. Public Awareness Planned: Y/N Yes. When applicable, we notify customers through a variety of channels including Facebook, Twitter, hand-delivered notices and automated phone calls. Activity #2: Ongoing replacement of equipment at well houses, booster stations, treatment plants. New or On-going Activity: Ongoing Description and Schedule for Planned Activity: Equipment replacement or upgrades at various facilities throughout the year. Public Awareness Planned: Y/N Yes. When applicable, we notify customers through a variety of channels including Facebook, Twitter, hand-delivered notices and automated phone calls. Activity #3: Tank Painting New or On-going Activity: Ongoing Description and Schedule for Planned Activity: SUEZ completed painting of the 2 million gallon Spring Valley Standpipe and is planning to begin painting the Valley Cottage Elevated Tank later in 2020. Public Awareness Planned: Y/N Yes. When applicable, we notify customers through a variety of channels including Facebook, Twitter, hand-delivered notices and automated phone calls. 8 Activity #4: New or On-going Activity: Ongoing--Upgrades to Lake DeForest Treatment Plant. Description and Schedule for Planned Activity: Currently undergoing upgrades to treatment at our Lake DeForest Treatment Plant. A Pilot Plant project