Baltimore Accused Of Targeting Poor For Water Shutoffs

Baltimore is at the center of a water shutoff controversy this year resembling what Detroit underwent a year ago, when the Motor City earned a scolding from the United Nations over its aggressive approach to ratepayer delinquency.

In April, Baltimore sent turn-off notices “to about 25,000 customers who owe a combined $40 million in long-overdue bills. City officials say they will shut off water to customers with unpaid bills of more than $250 dating back at least half a year. The notices include an estimated turn-off date, generally within 10 days of receipt,” The Baltimore Sun reported.

The move sparked a backlash from national and local politicians. In June, members of Congress issued a statement accusing the city of “inhumane” treatment of low-income residents. The letter was signed by Maryland Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings and Donna Edwards, according to The Baltimore Sun. Their statement read:

In the U.S. city of Detroit, low-income residents continue to experience inhumane water shutoffs, a development that has drawn the concern of the United Nations. The city of Baltimore has begun to follow Detroit's dangerous example, despite opposition from its residents. We are deeply concerned that low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately affected when water is managed with greater attention to profit margins than to human rights.

Also in June, city councilors slammed the Baltimore public works department for its delinquency policies. It accused the city of targeting individuals while giving a pass to businesses owing millions of dollars in water charges. “More than 350 large commercial accounts — a category that includes businesses, nonprofits and government offices — account for a total of $15 million in unpaid water bills,” The Baltimore Sun reported in a recent piece.

One city councilor introduced a resolution calling for the public works department “to stop shutting off water to Baltimore residential customers until the agency collects bills from commercial customers who owe millions of dollars,” the Sun reported. “The resolution was co-sponsored by the entire 15-member council.”

Dwayne Tony Simmons of the Right to Housing Alliance characterized the city’s approach as imbalanced. "Corporations and big businesses get a pass, and we get penalized over peanuts," he said, per the Sun.

Some parents are worried about their children being taken away as a result of water shutoffs, ThinkProgress explained:

Rita, a renter in Southeast Baltimore who asked to remain anonymous for this story in order to protect her two children from being taken away, told ThinkProgress she was served with a shutoff notice last week. Maryland law states that a child that is “neglected” may be taken out of his or her home and put into foster care. One characteristic of “neglect” as defined by the Maryland Department of Human Resources is a child with “consistently poor hygiene” that is “un-bathed, [having] unwashed or matted hair, noticeable body odor.”

Baltimore’s approach to ratepayer delinquency is a first for the city, Buzzfeed reported. “This was the first year that the city made a public announcement about the number of planned shutoffs,” the report said, citing Jeffrey Raymond, spokesperson for the Baltimore Department of Water.

“We did an announcement this year in an effort to be more open about the process,” Raymond said, per the report.

Other cities also shut off service to delinquent accounts, including Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, and San Diego. New York City does not.