These Canyon Lake Customers Overpaid EMWD: How To Claim Your Money

MURRIETA, CA —Some Murrieta area residents and businesses are among the 1,600 Eastern Municipal Water District customers who are due funds from overpayments going back to 2019, the agency announced this week.

The district advised customers to check their accounts because the money is slated to be deposited into the utility's treasury this month.

EMWD provides service to retail customers located within the cities of Canyon Lake, Hemet, San Jacinto, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Perris and Temecula, as well as the unincorporated communities of French Valley, Good Hope, Homeland, Lakeview, Mead Valley, Murrieta Hot Springs, Nuevo, Romoland, Valle Vista and Winchester.

According to the EMWD, thousands of dollars in refunds are waiting to be claimed before the Board of Directors votes on Jan. 18 to turn the liquid assets into general fund revenue.

The EMWD said that 1,668 customers are eligible to file a claim before that happens.

Amounts owed vary, from a low of $1 for one customer to a high of $6,277.75 for another.

According to the EMWD, the funds are the result of account closures, efficiency rebates or fee changes that put more revenue in the utility's hands than was owed.

Under state law, a public governing body cannot spend overpayments for at least three years, while making a diligent effort to attempt to find the individuals who are entitled to take back the funds.

"EMWD attempts to locate the current address and contact these customers and developers, but these efforts are sometimes unsuccessful due to the lack of a forwarding address, companies closing, or other reasons," according to an agency statement.

"EMWD goes beyond the public notice requirement (of circulating a list of customers owed funds in newspapers) by posting the complete current listing of unclaimed monies on its website, and continuously updates it throughout the year."

A full list of those eligible for EMWD's refund can be found online.

Anyone who wishes to file a claim may do so via their website at www.emwd.org/unclaimed- monies.