Detroit aims to collect unpaid water bills with new program

DETROIT (WXYZ) — To help Detroit residents pay their past-due water bills, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has implemented a brand new program that starts Tuesday with a down payment of just $10.

For three years during the COVID-19 moratorium, if Detroit residents didn’t pay their water bills, the water wasn’t turned off. Now that that has expired and Detroiters are struggling to pay their bills, shutoffs are in effect and the city’s collection rate has dropped 12% since 2020.

“So they’re going up, up, up,” Detroit resident Patricia Reid said of her water bill. “The cost of living, everything has just skyrocketed.”

During a mandatory citywide meeting Monday at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, DWSD introduced EasyPay.

For a $10 down payment on just the first month, a Detroit resident’s total water and sewer debt will then be spread out over 36 months instead of the previous 12 months and if you enroll, you will automatically be placed in a shutoff protection program. This is in addition to your current monthly bills.

Detroit Water and Sewerage Department

“The average Detroiter currently has about $1,200 in debt in the city,” said DWSD Chief of Staff Matthew Phillips. “Things pile up and after a couple of years it’s hard to get out of that situation.”

There are no income restrictions to qualify, and the city expects more than 30,000 people to sign up for the program.

“They’re not just saying, hey, pay your bill and if you don’t pay your water bill, it’s going to go to your taxes and we’re going to seize it. It doesn’t seem like they want to do that,” said Detroit resident Remuel Montgomery.

WXYZ

Montgomery has a water bill of just over $1,000. He has been unable to pay because some months he has to choose between buying groceries or paying the water bill.

“It’s a matter you want to get under control, you want to deal with,” he said.

All types of customers are eligible: businesses, residents, houses of worship and non-profit organizations.

To sign up for the new DWSD EasyPay Plan, call 313-267-8000 and say “Easy Pay” or sign up through the DWSD Customer Self-Service Portal. For more information, visit