March 26, 2021

Researchers say half a million infections might have been stopped if more states had suspended disconnections during pandemic

March 12, 2021

This is what keeps AccessH2O up at night - It's not just the moratorium - it's what the lack of communication between federal - state - and local government and the utilities that serve the customers is doing to financially at-risk customers. We are seeing one-sided policies that are not being done with financial forecasting, money being allocated to for 'affordability' but without discussion with the utilities on effective ways the money could be deployed in their areas to people who need it - and as a result - it is more talking, more money being sent without a plan, and forecasting that is more like afterthought.

March 10, 2021

AccessH2O discusses the important topic of customer service with the American Water Works Association. For financially vulnerable customers, customer service is often the voice they hear when trying to make critical decisions about what bills to pay, what options exist, and how to keep the water running and keep the lights on. Investment, therefore, into this critical skill and labor force, is important and not to be underestimated.  

November 24, 2020

When asked how many people in the City were living without water, one Detroit Public Works Executive said, 'We don't track that information'. The City of Chicago used water bill surcharges to save a Municipal Employee Pension Fund and then after announcing that water shut-offs would be suspended, experienced a nearly 25% drop in collections with no good path to recover that loss in site.

October 15, 2020

Residential water debt ranged from $341 million in Chicago to only $568,427 in San Francisco. The median residential debt for the eight cities that reported that figure ranged from $79.27 in Denver, to $216.58 in Seattle, to $415.13 in Detroit, to $662.80 in Philadelphia.