Detroit Water Shut-Offs

Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has been in federally mandated restructuring for more than a decade. The Emergency Manager setup a plan to shutoff residential and commercial accounts that were delinquent. Residents that were 60 days or more overdue by $150 were subjected to shutoff. They were told to come to the office and work through financial plans if they were in difficult times. However the plans required significant down-payment for many of those owing. The question of what was in the bills has also come under scrutiny because DWSD was passing past due amount from owner to owner as property transferred. A large number of residents are also renters and the water bill often is included in rental contracts, however some landlords didn't take care of the bills in a timely manner. Detroit's billing practice was once every three months. It is now monthly and the cost is higher than the national average, even though the city sits next to 21% of the world's fresh surface water supply.