Abstract. Through its practical implications for the field, this study evaluated customer acceptance and willingness to pay for the mandated Septage Management Services provided by the Calamba Water District (CWD). The research, conducted with a rigorous descriptive correlational research design, focused on various factors: awareness and understanding, perceived importance, regulation compliance, and payment preferences. The ultimate goal was to develop an action plan to enhance customer awareness of the importance of septage management and foster a more informed, engaged, and accepting community. The study population comprised customers of the Calamba Water District, with respondents selected through simple random sampling. A total of 385 customers who had adequate awareness of wastewater management and had serviced their household septic tanks were included in the study. Descriptive statistics, including means and Likert scales, were used to describe customer acceptance and willingness to pay for septage management services. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was utilized to determine the relationship between customer acceptance and willingness to pay for these services. The findings revealed a significant relationship between customer acceptance and willingness to pay for CWD's mandated Septage Management Services. Specifically, higher levels of customer acceptance were associated with greater willingness to pay for the services. Conversely, as customer acceptance decreased, so did their willingness to pay.

Keywords: Customer acceptance; Willingness to pay; Septage management services; Water District; Environmental regulation compliance.