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As we all feel the pressure of increasing costs of living, a recent poll shows that 89% of Michigan voters agree: unaffordable costs shouldn't prevent anyone from having clean, safe drinking water. The poll, commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council and conducted by EPIC-MRA, also shows that 3 of every 4 voters - from across the political spectrum - support the creation of a state program to ensure water access for households facing the greatest affordability challenges.
Fortunately, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation to establish such a program. It could provide some breathing room in the budget for families that are struggling, especially those including older adults. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), 76% of American seniors are concerned about increasing water costs.
Under the legislation, all water customers would contribute to the proposed program through a small monthly surcharge of $1.25. Those funds would provide gap payments, bringing bills down to a manageable level for households living below 200% of the federal poverty level ($43,280 for a family of two). The package includes flexibility for communities that prefer to administer their own local affordability programs.
Water bills can be especially burdensome for older adults, and northeast Michigan is home to some of the state's most rapidly aging communities. For example, half of Alcona County residents are at least 60 years old - the largest share of any county in the state. Many households in this region live on fixed incomes like Social Security and disability benefits, making even small water bill increases difficult to absorb.
The affordability program would reduce water bills for eligible households in the northeastern Lower Peninsula by an average of $38 per month. That's enough to pay for four days' worth of food, eight gallons of gas, or the typical monthly premium for Medicare prescription drug coverage.
We already have assistance programs for other basic needs like energy. But even though none of us can survive for more than a few days without water, there's no sustainable federal or state-level program for it.
Michigan water costs have nearly doubled since 1980, outpacing growth in all other basic living expenses except for healthcare. Meanwhile, federal investment in water infrastructure has declined drastically. That leaves our local water providers having to cover increasing costs of aging systems by raising rates for customers - whose wages aren't keeping up.
This is clearly unviable, particularly in rural communities where water suppliers don't have a large customer base over which to spread their growing costs. The resulting burden on individual families might mean they have to choose between paying the water bill and other survival needs, like food and medication.
The polling is clear: here in the Great Lakes state, we believe everyone deserves clean, safe water. Let's make sure that water cost isn't a barrier to health and well-being for any of our families, friends or neighbors. Visit MiWaterPlan.com to learn more about the bipartisan, common-sense solution to get us closer to that goal.