To: Kevyn Orr, Detroit Emergency Manager, Mike Duggan, Detroit Mayor, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Governor Snyder and Kevyn Orr: Stop the drinking water and sewerage shut-offs in Detroit!
Water is a basic human right, and all people deserve access to safe and affordable water and sanitation.
I urge you to support the Detroit community, their quality of life, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and all DWSD customers by:
- Maintaining full public control of the municipal water system.
- Immediately restoring water services to all households affected by the shut-offs and abandon plans for further shut-offs.
- Creating a sustainable public financing plan that would prevent a transfer of the utility's financial burden onto residents who are already paying exorbitant rates for their water service.
- Guaranteeing fair water rates for all the residents of Detroit and revisiting the implementation of the original water affordability program that was approved by the Detroit City Council in 2005.
I urge you to support the Detroit community, their quality of life, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and all DWSD customers by:
- Maintaining full public control of the municipal water system.
- Immediately restoring water services to all households affected by the shut-offs and abandon plans for further shut-offs.
- Creating a sustainable public financing plan that would prevent a transfer of the utility's financial burden onto residents who are already paying exorbitant rates for their water service.
- Guaranteeing fair water rates for all the residents of Detroit and revisiting the implementation of the original water affordability program that was approved by the Detroit City Council in 2005.
Why is this important?
What would you do if you couldn't flush the toilet? Or if you had to buy bottled water to cook, clean and stay hydrated?
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is shutting off water at thousands of Detroit residences each week even if their account debt was incurred by previous owners. Meanwhile, corporate accounts, with tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid water bills, remain unpaid yet are still being served. And Detroit's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, has begun the process to privatize DWSD, the drinking water supply for roughly 4 million people in southeast Michigan. Privatizing the system could lead to higher rates and poorer service.
In order for water to remain safe and affordable for all, we need to maintain public control of our water system and to enact a water affordability plan that keeps families connected to this critical resource.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is shutting off water at thousands of Detroit residences each week even if their account debt was incurred by previous owners. Meanwhile, corporate accounts, with tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid water bills, remain unpaid yet are still being served. And Detroit's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, has begun the process to privatize DWSD, the drinking water supply for roughly 4 million people in southeast Michigan. Privatizing the system could lead to higher rates and poorer service.
In order for water to remain safe and affordable for all, we need to maintain public control of our water system and to enact a water affordability plan that keeps families connected to this critical resource.