Affordable Water Is A Human Right

Affordable SAFE Drinking Water is essential for public health.

Every Californian should have access to affordable safe drinking water. Yet our water system is at risk of failing Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities, right when we need it most to slow the spread of COVID-19. Not only is this an issue of environmental justice, but a public health emergency as well.

For Far too many Californians, Affordable Water Is Out Of Reach.

Families, already struggling financing before the pandemic, are now drowning in water debt. When the statewide moratorium on water shutoffs eventually ends, utilities could immediately disconnect these families' water. An estimated 500,000 Californians lost their drinking water in 2019 because of water shutoffs. Many more could be affected by water shutoffs once the moratorium lifts. We can't let this happen. We need a comprehensive plan to keep the water flowing, including:

Assist low-income households with their water bills through creation of a statewide water affordability low-income rate assistance (LIRA) program
Eliminate burdensome water bill late fees and reconnection fees
Provide emergency grants and loans to help small water systems avoid bankruptcy

The pandemic has further exposed the deep rooted inequities in accessing basic resources and essential needs. Black, Indigenous, and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic on all fronts including lack of access to affordable water. This is a statewide crisis that affects Californians across the state, in rural and urban areas. There can be no equitable recovery from the pandemic if we have mass water shutoffs or failing systems.

According to State Water Board survey data:

California households are drowning in about $1 billion in total household water debt
1.6 million households, or roughly 12 percent of Californians, are in water debt
155,000 people owe more than $1,000 in water debt
More than 130 small water systems are in need of assistance
There are clear racial inequities that impact people of color the hardest

Solutions:

Our lawmakers now have an opportunity to prioritize water affordability legislation, protecting public health and delivering on the human right to water.

We support legislation that helps make water more affordable and prevents water shutoffs, including:

SB 222 - Low-Income Water Affordability Assistance Program

SB 223 - Discontinuation of Residential Water Service

To learn more about solutions we support, read a coalition letter to Congress and a coalition letter to California legislative leaders.