Detroit water department put under mayor's control after water shut-off controversies

The city of Detroit's water department has been put under the direct control of the mayor after an uproar over how it has chosen to cut off water supplies to individuals who are behind on their bills.

The Detroit News reports that Detroit's emergency manager, appointed by the state of Michigan to help navigate the city out of bankruptcy, gave control of the water department to Mayor Mike Duggan.

Duggan then swiftly promised to help out the customers who are unable to pay their bills. In a statement on Facebook Duggan said, "We will be developing a plan that allows those who are truly needy to access financial help and allows those who want to make payment arrangements to do so with shorter wait times. As for those who can pay and choose not to, we won't force other Detroiters to pay their bills."

People have complained that when they do try to pay their bills, the process to do so is so long and arduous, it cannot be completed in time to prevent a shut off.

The change comes after intense criticism of the policy of shutting off the water for individual households.

The Daily Beast reports 15,000 households have lost their water service for overdue bills as small as $150. People may also have their water service cut if they are 60 days past due on a bill, regardless of the amount.

At the same time, 40 businesses with past due amounts totaling $9.5 million have not had their water turned off. These include General Motors and a golf course that owes the water department almost $500,000. The state of Michigan itself owes the city $5 million. 

The issue has become so heated that some rights groups have actually brought the issue to the United Nations. They claim that the water department's actions are a violation of the right to water. This is because Detroit is adjacent to the largest bodies of fresh water on the planet. The activists claim that as residents of the area, it is the people of Detroit's right to that water.