NYC 311 Primary
311
Billing, water quality, leaks and sewer requests.
ND
NYC DEP customer service and complaints
Drinking water and wastewater for New York City
Provisional entry
Checked 2 Nov 2026
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
The NYC Department of Environmental Protection supplies drinking water and handles wastewater for New York City. Most billing and service requests start with 311; DEP handles water quality, leaks and sewer issues.
Step one
Ways to contact NYC DEP
Step two
How to complain about NYC DEP
Work through the stages in order. Each one creates the paper trail the next stage needs.
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1
Stage 1
Contact NYC DEP and open a complaint
Straight away
Report the billing or service problem to NYC DEP. Ask for a complaint or service request number and the name of the department handling it.
Use the phone, 311 line or online form on this page.
For discoloured or smelly water, ask whether there is a boil-water notice or main repair nearby.
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2
Stage 2
Request the written complaint procedure
Within a few days
Ask how the utility handles disputes, who reviews them and how long it takes. Put your complaint in writing with evidence.
Email the utility and keep the reply.
A written complaint creates a record for the board or regulator.
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3
Stage 3
Escalate to the governing board or regulator
After the utility's response
Depending on ownership, escalate to the city council, utility board or state PUC. Public comment at a board meeting can be effective for repeated failures.
Find the board agenda process and submit your evidence.
Ask for your complaint to be added to the public record.
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4
Stage 4
Report water-quality concerns
Immediately for health concerns
Contact your state drinking water program or the EPA for health-related water quality concerns. Ask for the utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report.
Use your state environmental or health department's drinking water contact.
Keep a sample and note the date, time and location if you are testing water yourself.
Step three
Formal complaint letter template
Formal complaint letter template (US water). Copy it, fill in the bracketed fields and keep a dated copy.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your email]
[Your phone]
[Date]
NYC DEP
Customer Service
Account number: [account number]
Service address: [service address]
Dear Customer Service,
I am writing to make a formal complaint about my water and sewer service.
What happened
[Explain the billing, leak, pressure, water-quality or service issue and give dates. Include meter readings and any photos.]
What I want
[State the remedy you want: bill adjustment, repair, water testing, reimbursement or a written explanation.]
Please respond in writing by [date]. If the issue is not resolved, I intend to escalate it to the utility board / city council / state public utility commission and, for water quality, my state drinking water program.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your email]
[Your phone]
[Date]
NYC DEP
Customer Service
Account number: [account number]
Service address: [service address]
Dear Customer Service,
I am writing to make a formal complaint about my water and sewer service.
What happened
[Explain the billing, leak, pressure, water-quality or service issue and give dates. Include meter readings and any photos.]
What I want
[State the remedy you want: bill adjustment, repair, water testing, reimbursement or a written explanation.]
Please respond in writing by [date]. If the issue is not resolved, I intend to escalate it to the utility board / city council / state public utility commission and, for water quality, my state drinking water program.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Send it by a method you can prove — email with read receipt, or tracked post — and keep the reference number.
If it is not fixed
Escalate to the regulator
Use these routes only after the provider has had a fair chance to respond, or if they have breached a published deadline.
Questions
NYC DEP FAQ
Do I call 311 or DEP for a water problem?
Start with 311 for billing, leaks, low pressure, water quality and sewer backups. DEP handles the underlying infrastructure. For a sewage backup or suspected gas leak, call 911 or the emergency line immediately.
How do I dispute a New York water bill?
Call 311 and ask for a billing review, then submit meter photos and the bill in writing. If the issue is not resolved, ask for the complaint to be escalated to DEP's customer service leadership.
Who do I complain to about a city water bill?
Start with the water utility's customer service and ask for the written complaint procedure. If it is not resolved, escalate to the city council, the utility board or your state public utility commission if the utility is privately owned.
Who handles water quality complaints?
Your state drinking water program and the EPA handle health-related water quality standards. The utility must publish an annual Consumer Confidence Report. For billing, use the utility's complaint process instead.
Can a state commission overrule a city water department?
Usually no. State commissions regulate privately owned water utilities. A city department answers to the city council or utility board. Use the municipal process and, if fairness is the issue, the local oversight body.
Sources
Where this information comes from
Provisional entry
Compiled from official provider and regulator pages, last checked 2 Nov 2026. Contact details change — confirm on the official page before relying on them.
How we verify pagesKeep going
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