11 votes

One in eight California households is past due on their water bill, and the total debt is over $1 billion

2 comments

  1. MimicSquid
    Link
    Ok, so I get that predominantly the people who're behind on their water bill are poor, but for 155k households to owe $500M over 9 months, that's an average water bill per household of roughly...

    Ok, so I get that predominantly the people who're behind on their water bill are poor, but for 155k households to owe $500M over 9 months, that's an average water bill per household of roughly $360/mo. Does that seem weirdly high to anyone else?

    A couple years ago Monterey County had the highest average water bill in the nation at $100/mo. It's possible that those households already had 3 years worth of back bills, but it seems more likely that there's a few large offenders taking advantage of the situation.

    7 votes
  2. spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link

    A survey by the state water board found at least 1.6m households are behind on water bill payments. The average debt is $500, but 155,000 or so households are in real trouble, owing more than $1,000 each and accounting for half the total debt.

    Households in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are more likely to be in arrears, and have disproportionately larger debts. Racial inequalities in California’s water debt persist even after adjusting for income and housing, the survey found. The highest concentration of arrears is in southern California, particularly in Los Angeles – one of the cities hardest hit by Covid-19 deaths and the economic fallout.

    The pandemic did not create California’s water affordability crisis, but the debt has ballooned since the governor, Gavin Newsom, ordered a moratorium on water shutoffs for unpaid bills last April, as part of the state’s public health measures to curtail the spread of Covid-19, which is highly contagious.

    Low-income households hit hard by the pandemic are probably prioritizing food, medication, and other basic necessities over paying their water bill.

    3 votes