Water Debt Plagues Communities, Underscoring Need for Government Action
New data released today by the Western NY Law Center and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) reveals a snapshot of the hidden water affordability crisis plaguing New York households. Following Freedom of Information Law requests to water authorities in Monroe, Erie, Oneida, and Suffolk Counties, which together serve over 3 million New Yorkers, the groups found that hundreds of thousands of customer accounts owed their respective authorities over $40 million in Fall 2021. Since New York’s utility shut-off moratorium expired in December 2021, this debt will provoke water shut-offs or foreclosures, which can impact health and livelihoods, and in the case of families with children, could lead to intervention by child and family services.
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Source: Environmental Advocates NY