Opinion | Open the faucet: Pass water affordability legislation

When lawmakers return to Lansing in December, they should address a critical issue facing Michiganders from Detroit to the Keweenaw Peninsula, and all points in between: The rising cost of water bills. 

Thankfully, a package of bills before the Michigan Legislature would greatly help low-income voters by creating a water assistance program to help offset rising costs and prevent families struggling to make ends meet from having their water shut off.

As the cost of most things continues to rise, families, seniors and individuals throughout the state are forced to make difficult decisions between paying their water bill and affording important prescription medications or purchasing groceries for the week. It’s a choice they shouldn’t be forced to make.

Over the last three years we have polled registered voters to see how the rising cost of water bills is impacting them.

According to polling conducted by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2023, people and families who are paying more than $100 a month for their water and sewer are the least likely to be able to afford it. Nearly one-third of those surveyed make less than $25,000 a year and nearly a quarter of them don’t have a college degree or even a high school degree.

Across the state, the number of people who think their water bill is affordable continues to slide. A little over half of those surveyed in 2021 felt their water and sewer bill were affordable. That number dipped to 45% in 2023.

Support for a water assistance program has remained steady over the last few years, with more than 60% of people statewide supporting a program to help low-income families and seniors. In Detroit, 96% of people surveyed would support such a program, as did more than 50% of voters in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. This data shows it isn’t just a Detroit concern but a statewide concern.

The water affordability legislation before the Michigan Legislature is a commonsense approach to help low-income families and seniors when they need it most. It would create a fund to help offset the cost of water and sewer bills for residents who are at or below 200% of the federal poverty limit. This would make water bills more affordable and prevent water shutoffs. Implementing this program would cost the average household a modest $2 surcharge on their monthly water bill. 

As a global conservation organization, The Nature Conservancy prides itself on working on impactful projects that will benefit both nature and people. This legislation will go a long way towards helping people across the state better afford something many of us may take for granted. 

That is why we are urging lawmakers to take up this legislation without delay when they return in December.