to the 2.2 billion persons who have no access to
safe water services,” the experts said.
While many U.S. communities have announced
moratoriums, the city of Detroit is one of the
few to have a specific plan to turn on the water,
announcing a program March 9 that would
restore service for $25 a month.
The city has restored water to more than
840 homes, with about 190 work orders still
pending, but does not know the exact number
of homes without service, the water department
said. An official said the city plans to reach out to
5,400 houses “out of abundance of caution.”
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said that he hopes
service will be restored to all within the next two
weeks, with crews working around the clock.
But some question the plan’s ambitious
timeline and stipulations. After the COVID-19
outbreak passes, residents will be responsible
for the full bill and any past due amounts
incurred, though the city says individuals
would be enrolled in plans to keep “water
service affordable” afterward.
Nick Leonard, the executive director of the Great
Lakes Environmental Law Center, said the center
has asked the Michigan Department of Human
Services to immediately require all the state’s
public water systems to turn water on, provide
service at a flat rate no greater than $25 a month
as long as COVID-19 is classified as a pandemic,
and prevent them from assessing or collecting
deferred payments for service provided during
the crisis.
“At this point, it’s a bigger public health question
now than it’s ever been,” Leonard said.