Detroit Equity Action Lab

Detroit's Mass Water Shutoffs: A Public Health Crisis

What happens when a city shuts off water to tens of thousands of residents? This is what we are witnessing in Detroit: an ensuing public health catastrophe from water shutoffs in a city unwilling to address the needs of its people.

Videos

Medical professionals and organizers are taking a stand to call out the disastrous health impacts of Detroit's mass water shutoffs. Watch our short videos telling the real story of the water shutoffs in Detroit and their connection to an ensuing public health crisis.

Social Media

We created social graphics highlighting the consequences of mass water shutoffs for the public health of Detroiters.

See the rest of our graphics on our Facebook page, or in this round-up of tweets from our community conversation with medical professionals and organizers calling out the disastrous health impacts of Detroit's mass water shutoffs.

Media Coverage

Exploring the public health consequences of Detroit's water shutoffsThe narrative around Detroit's water shutoffs has largely centered on people needing to pay their bills or water as a human right. Missing from the conversation have been the mental and physical health impacts of the water shutoffs on a city with an

Experts: Water shutoffs causing public health emergencyOfficials: Patients diagnosed with skin diseases were 1.48 times more likely to live on a block with water shutoffs

No water for poor people: the nine Americans who risked jail to seek justiceTo live without water means no bath time for your kids, no cooking and no useable toilets. As the city of Detroit cut water to 83,000 homes since 2014, nine activists put their bodies on the line to protest

Organizers, health professionals to examine how water shutoffs can affect Detroiters’ healthThis week, community organizers in Detroit are bringing in experts to talk about the health implications of city-imposed mass water shutoffs. They want to

Helping low-income residents pay bills doesn’t solve Detroit's water affordability problemDetroit is in the midst of turning off the water at homes with unpaid utility bills. Meanwhile, Philadelphia – another major city struggling with water