Melissa Dettloff lives in Russell Woods and was enrolled in Detroit’s water affordability plan from 2022 until September. Through the program, she paid $18 a month for her water bill.
In September, she got a letter in the mail notifying her that the program was ending.
Dettloff, who is low-income and lives by herself, was part of the city’s income-based Lifeline Plan — which at its peak served 29,000 households. But the program ran through its reserves, forcing the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) to rework it. Now just 5,000 households can enroll at a $34 monthly rate.
Still, Dettloff is eager to get a spot in the new program, now called Lifeline H2O. Everything feels unaffordable for her right now, but she says a consistent water bill really helped her budget.
“My health insurance premiums are doubling, and all the copays are quadrupling, and nothing goes down,” Dettloff said. “It’s the end of the year, and you’re finding out what new rate everything is going to be next year, and it’s all going up by a lot.”
On Tuesday, when applications opened, Dettloff jumped online to enroll. She got an error message, called Lifeline H2O’s customer service and was told the website was having issues. On Wednesday, the website couldn’t locate her account, and customer service told her to contact DWSD directly.
When the safety net needs saving
When the water department launched the first iteration of Lifeline in 2022, officials said 70% of Detroiters would be eligible for some assistance with their water bill. Enrollees paid $18, $43 or $56 a month, based on their income.
Even then, DWSD Director Gary Brown emphasized that the program, which started with $15 million, did not have a long-term funding source and that the money would run out in a year or two.
It did run out.
Last September, more than 25,000 households were enrolled in the plan. In January, those ranks were slashed to about 8,000.
This revamped program will use $3.5 million in regional water assistance funding through the Great Lakes Water Authority. That money will support just 5,000 households, who will pay $34 a month, DWSD says. It also says the average monthly bill for a household of three is $87.
The state budget sets aside $5 million for water assistance programs this year, and Detroit water officials are vying for a share of it.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) is sponsoring legislation to create a permanent statewide fund to reduce or pay off residential water debt. The bills, which are in front of the full Senate, would require every local water department in Michigan to add a $1.25 monthly fee to each residential water meter in their service area.
‘Detroiters need a program that provides real relief’
For $34 a month, households enrolled in Lifeline H2O can use up to about 4,500 gallons of water. Any usage above that is billed at the regular rate. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average family of four uses more than twice that amount.
Enrollees will also need to stay current on their bills. Any household more than 90 days behind on payment will be removed from the program.
Households that are removed from Lifeline H2O, along with those who were in the original Lifeline Plan but can’t secure a spot in the new program, will be automatically enrolled in DWSD’s EasyPay. With a $10 deposit to start, this payment plan divides water debt over 36 months and adds that amount to the customer’s monthly water bill. EasyPay and Lifeline H2O protect customers from shut-offs, as long as they’re up to date on their bill.
Department spokesperson Bryan Peckinpaugh says he doesn’t anticipate water shut-offs will increase as a result of the limited availability of the new Lifeline H2O.
“Water service interruptions for nonpayment is a collection method and intended for those households that have the ability to pay and are choosing not to pay their DWSD bill,” he wrote by email.
Water advocates are less than pleased with this new water affordability program. At a September Board of Water Commissioners meeting, advocates from Hydrate Detroit and We the People of Detroit called for a permanent funding source and expressed concern that the requirement for enrollees to have zero water debt would disqualify many households.
“Detroiters need a program that provides real relief, not one that adds more barriers,” said Cecily McClellan, water works director at We the People of Detroit, by email. “Unfortunately, the new Lifeline H2O program will not meet the scale of need faced by families who rely on assistance to maintain access to clean, safe, and affordable water in their homes.”
