residents struggling to pay their utility bills have just two days left to apply for help that's when the state's annual winter termination program ends it prevents your water or heat from being shut off during cold winter months even if you owe on your bills experts say there's plenty of assistance and money out there to help customers who fell behind problem is not enough people know about it senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has the story there's a potential for her for an avalanche of shutoffs to come in in the weeks and months ahead Advocates warn Taps could run dry and lights go off for some folks who owe water and energy bills when a New Jersey moratorium on shutoffs ends March 15th that's this Wednesday the winter termination programs prevented electric gas and water utilities from cutting most people off for non-payment since November that's helped thousands make ends meet for months folks who are on low fixed and moderate incomes are really struggling to figure out which bill to pay do they buy groceries this week or they pay their electric bill but now it's time to pay up or sign up for an assistance program The Board of Public Utilities advises the best way to avoid service shut off whether it's your water utility your electric utility your gas utility call them they are willing to help they are willing to set up a payment plan they are willing to steer you in the direction where you can get assistance if you qualify and the good news is if you apply for a program while your application is pending they will not terminate your service so to the extent you need help you need to reach out now the BPU estimates Jersey customers of investor-owned water companies owe a combined 44 million dollars in water bills more than 120 days overdue Advocate Larry Levine says there's Federal money available but it's first come first serve unfortunately there's not a permanent program there's a limited amount of money and uh apply for it apply for it it's the easiest way to get the information is call 2-1-1 an estimated 144 000 New Jersey water customers could qualify for up to five thousand dollars each in Grants from the federal low-income household water assistance program or leewap New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs has struggled to award this money about 20 million dollars amidst threats the feds would claw back unspent funds the New Jersey utilities Association members comprise almost half the state's water utilities but we've only actually had our customers access a little bit more than a million dollars of that but DCA is planning a massive Outreach to sign up delinquent water company customers says lieutenant governor Sheila Oliver it was just two weeks ago that the utility companies gave us those listings so we have listings of about 16 000 customers in New Jersey who do have arrearages we are sending correspondence to those customers as well as calling them on the phone she also says hundreds of smaller New Jersey water utilities didn't participate in the liwa program cutting their customers off from federal rescue dollars a bill working its way through the state house would prohibit water companies that don't participate from shutting off service I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news [Music]