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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The proposed water pipe line will become increasingly important as Detroit continues to raise the cost of our water. later year the wholesale cost of 1,000 cu feet of water to Flint was $14. 32. The increase to take effect on july 1 is 10.7% for a total cost of $15.85. Then add on the increases per the city and suburbs and the cost increases. The minimum bill for a Flint resident is now nearly $50.00. detroit has a service to help those unable to pay, but I am not aware that Flint does.
Detroit City Council Votes to Up Water Rates
Updated: Tuesday, 15 Jun 2010, 10:34 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 15 Jun 2010, 10:16 PM EDT
By TARYN ASHER
myFOXDetroit.com
The Detroit City Council has voted to increase water rates. Whether you live in the city or the suburbs, your water bill will likely be going up.
"Called the water company. Called everybody. No one has came out here but you guys," said Sherita Williams.
They called us because of the broken pipes gushing water into the basement of a vacant house on Russell. Inside the home is a three foot pool of wasted water that neighbors say has been refilling itself for nearly two years.
Residents like Greg Scott were already frustrated, and then he just learned the City Council voted to hike the water and sewer rates.
"That's not fair. I mean, why are you going to raise rates of us. You can't even fix the problems here," he said.
Ironically, the water department wanted the bill increase to pay for service and maintenance since it provides water to 43-percent of the state throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
Here's how it all breaks down. While Detroit customers will see about an eight-percent increase on their water bills, it's the suburban customers that will be taking an even bigger hit with an increase around ten-percent. There are some communities where it's even higher, such as Bloomfield Township, Hazel Park and Hamtramck. Customers in those communities are going to see an increase around 14- to 16-percent.
"It is a big hike," said John Hoban.
He's a retired resident of Bloomfield Township who says he'll feel the pinch.
"The water bill is very high as it is. So, another 16-percent, 14-percent, 15-percent... that's a big hit for me," he said.
As it undoubtedly is for the thousands of unemployed, especially in Detroit. That's the reason Councilwoman JoAnn Watson voted against it. The increase takes effect in July.
"Two-thirds of our citizens don't have employment, and they're not in a position to pay increased water rates. Secondly, the water department has an independent budget from the city's operating budget. It has no deficit," Watson said.
Detroit does offer a water bill assistance program for low income residents. Click here for more information on the Detroit Residential Water Assistance Program. The emergency number to report running water is (313) 267-7401.
A spokeswoman for the water department says over the last two years, workers have reduced the amount of water running at houses like the one on Russell from 10,000 to just 400. She claims they were not aware of the problem on Russell, but now it's next on the list.
RELATED LINKS:
Detroit Water and Sewer Department
www.dwsd.org
Detroit Residential Water Assistance Program
www.dwsd.org/cust/DRWAP_flyer.pdf |
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Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:15 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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In Detroit: No Money, No Water
April 19, 2010
Water Department cuts connections to thousands of city’s poor
Image courtesy Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
In 2006 the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization picketed the houses of Detroit city council members to protest the water department’s decision to shut off water connections to people who could not afford to pay their bills.By Brett Walton
Circle of Blue
Detroit’s water utility supplied 20 percent less water in 2009 than it did in 2003. The obvious reasons why are a steep decline in Industrial activity and population. Michigan’s largest city–home to 820,000 residents, 1 million less than in 1950–is losing 10,000 residents annually.
But a third important source of the department’s diminishing market is that many poor residents simply can’t afford the basic service. Thousands of Detroit residents have had their water connections cut by the city, forcing people to adopt informal methods to gain access to drinking water.
“I’ve been to some neighborhoods where they run a hose through the window from their neighbor’s house,” said Maureen Taylor, chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization (MWRO), which educates low-income workers and welfare recipients on social services rights.
“I’ve seen hoses from house to house. I’ve seen people with big water canisters getting water from the neighbors. Most folks understand the situation and give a hand.”
More than 42,000 residences in 2005 lost their connection to the city’s water system, according to figures provided by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, Taylor said. The number of homes without access has decreased since then but, according to Taylor, the exact figure remains unknown because DWSD is reluctant to provide data about the shut offs.
DWSD officials, despite requests from Circle of Blue, were not available for comment.
The drop in Detroit’s water has prompted the city’s water utility to increase rates to compensate for lost revenue, a response that is almost certain to accelerate the decline in water demand as homeowners and businesses cut water use to save money. In 2008 the average annual bill increased by almost $55. Last year, the average annual bill rose to almost $83. The DWSD is considering another 9.2 percent increase in July.
Even with these changes, Detroit still has some of the least expensive water of the 20 major U.S. cities surveyed by Circle of Blue.
While many U.S. cities would see a decline in water consumption as an indication that conservation and efficiency programs are working, the drop in Detroit is one more measure of a city in peril. On average one in six Detroit workers is jobless and in some areas half of the population is out of work, according to Taylor, who has led MWRO since 1993. Many people who lost their job have not been able to keep up with their utility bills, even with city and state financial assistance.
As a result, DWSD–-the third largest municipal water department in the country–suffered a $50 million shortfall in projected revenue before the last rate increase in July 2009. Meanwhile rising costs for treatment chemicals, interest rates on debt the utility already owes, and a legal settlement requiring the city’s residents to fix sewer overflows that contaminated regional waterways have added to the utility’s financial woes.
The finance crisis will take years to solve. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, the regional research and planning agency, predicts that Detroit’s population will hit bottom in 2020. Meanwhile, some city officials and academics think Detroit’s recovery can only start when it becomes smaller.
Mayor Dave Bing talked in February about the need to relocate people within the city. “If they stay where they are I absolutely cannot give them all the services they require,” Bing said according to Detroit News.
But the creative possibilities for reimagining the urban space are no consolation for those without access to water now. “The economy has wreaked absolute havoc in Detroit,” Taylor said. “We have tens of thousands of people in the city right now without water. It is unreal.”
Brett Walton is a reporter for Circle of Blue. Read part one of his investigation on U.S. urban water rates. Reach Walton at Brett@circleofblue.org. |
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Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:20 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Top Stories Hutaree militia men must stay locked up awaiting trial... Seven notable cases of online dating gone wrong Original 6 dates highlight Red Wings' 2010-11 schedule...
Home > Detroit News > Region: City of Detroit
Metro Detroit water bills could rise 9.5 percent, renewing suburban debate
Published: Friday, January 22, 2010, 6:30 AM Updated: Friday, January 22, 2010, 6:30 AM
Jonathan Oosting | MLive.com
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Cash flow is down for the Detroit Water and Sewage Department, so bills may rise significantly for the 126 Metro communities the system serves.
The Detroit Free Press reports water consumption in the area is down 20 percent as auto jobs and residents move away, which means reduced revenue for the department.
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To cover costs, the department has proposed an average 9.5 percent rate increase, with some communities paying significantly more than others.
Jan. 22 Freep.com: Among the larger water rate increases are proposed for Orion Township (20.4%), Warren (16.2%), Harper Woods (16.1%), Hazel Park (16.1%), Gibraltar (15.6%) Hamtramck (15.1%), Westland (15%) and Bloomfield Township (14.5%).
...Detroit's proposed rate increase is 9.2%.
The Detroit News points out the proposal renews the debate about how rates are set and affect suburban communities.
"I am extremely concerned Detroit would end up putting an additional burden on my residents when we are doing everything we can to reduce costs," Warren Mayor James Fouts told the newspaper.
"The Detroit Water Board is making decisions which have a negative impact on suburban communities. This is unacceptable."
The Board of Water Commissioners and Detroit City Council must approve the rate increases, which have been a tough sell historically. The new rates would take effect in July.
Check out the Free Press chart to see how your community would be affected.
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Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:29 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| see new posting on water rate increases |
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Sat Jul 17, 2010 4:15 pm |
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