A ban on water shut offs in Detroit is set to expire Friday, December 31. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department says it currently has about 60,000 delinquent customers with past due balances of at least $150.
Bryan Peckinpaugh is a spokesperson for DWSD. He says the city offers two payment plans that can protect customers from having their water shut off. There’s a Lifeline Plan that’s tied to income and water usage, and a 10-30-50 Payment Plan that allows customers to pay off portions of their past due balance.
“So you can continue in the water shut off moratorium for residential households as long as you ask for help," Peckinpaugh said. "That means you call Wayne Metro and apply for the Lifeline plan, or you call DWSD and enroll in 10-30-50 payment plan.”
Peckinpaugh says the department is sending canvassers to knock on 49,000 customers’ doors.
“And our canvassers will actually stay on their front porch and talk to the individual, help them call Wayne Metro on the spot and apply or they can do it on a mobile device while they're on their front porch," Peckinpaugh said.
A civil rights coalition says some customers have had issues enrolling in the new program, and so it’s asking the US District Court to order that the moratorium continue for all customers. Peckinpaugh says 16,000 people have already signed up for one of the payment plans.