California American Water has launched a new initiative to help customers navigate and better understand the components of their water bills. Starting today, all residential customers on the Monterey Peninsula that have registered an email address with their water account will receive an email notification, including a personalized video of their monthly water bill, along with conservation information. The emails will run monthly through March, unless the customer chooses to unsubscribe from the messages.

The animated video will walk customers through their total current charges and total amount due, and highlight water use for the current month compared to the previous month. The video also clarifies water service and usage charges, tiered rates, and surcharges. Finally, the video reminds customers that the Monterey Peninsula faces state-ordered restrictions on its water supply, and offers conservation tips to help achieve a low level of water consumption.

“With tiered rates and a number of surcharges, water bills on the Monterey Peninsula can appear complicated. These videos are an effort to improve our communication about our water charges. We hope customers will use these videos to analyze their water use and better understand their bills,” said External Affairs Manager Catherine Stedman.

The videos will be sent via email soon after electronic bills are available online and about 5 days before the customer’s monthly bill arrives in the mail. Exceptions for customers receiving manual meter reads and those with billing disputes or arrangements will apply. The video also contains information about services available on California American Water’s website, such as paperless billing registration, links to rebate applications and other available water conservation programs.

California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 660,000 people. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.