New Report on Water Affordability: Human Rights at Stake for a Growing Number as Water Prices Rise
Northeastern Law School’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy has issued a new report on water affordability in twelve Massachusetts communities, examining the issue from a human rights perspective.
The report notes rising water costs nationwide, and critiques the limited discounts available in the study communities, which range from Boston and Chelsea to Springfield and Worcester. Overall, none of the study communities offer discounts based on income alone, and all of the study communities limit discounts to owner-occupants.
The report also examines the lack of transparency concerning negotiated payment plans. Customers are typically given little information about what sorts of payment plans might be available, and for their part, water districts do little to ensure that implicit bias does not play a role in the payment negotiations.
The report notes that models for more responsive water affordability programs are available. The report describes Philadelphia’s Tiered Assistance Program, an income-based plan to assist water customers. In addition, the report identifies innovative approaches to assisting renters, including the program in Portland, Oregon, that provides additional funds to assist renters facing eviction in paying their water bills.
Finally, the report underscores the racially disparate impact of limiting water discounts to owner-occupants, particularly in Massachusetts where the homeownership race gap is one of the largest in the nation. This concern was also recently highlighted in Water/Color, a comprehensive report published by the NAACP LDF, which provides an in-depth treatment of the racial impacts of rising water costs.
We are all equal in our needs for water — and access to affordable water is a human right. As climate change and aging infrastructure lead to increased water costs across the country, it is critical to ensure that affordable water remains available to all.