The Cost of Unaffordable Water: The Toll that Rising Water Costs and Water Shut-Offs Take on Health, Households and the Most Vulnerable Communities

With water costs skyrocketing in some regions, the lowest 20 percent of earners can pay almost one-fifth of their income for water. Some families reduce their expenditures for healthy food, heat, and air conditioning to just to keep their water on. Shutting off water service is one of the mechanisms utilities use to enforce payment. And there are few policies in place to protect small children, the disabled, pregnant women, or older Americans. In some states, children have been separated from their families and placed in foster care when water service is cut off. And the problem is expected to get far worse.

Topic: Water Affordability

Date: Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017

Time: 1-2 p.m. Eastern / 10-11 a.m. Pacific

• Nancy Stoner, Water Program Director and Senior Fellow, Pisces Foundation [bio]

Speakers:

• Elizabeth Mack, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Michigan State University, will talk about the water affordability problem from a national perspective, why this is a problem, where it is a problem, and who’s being affected. [bio]
• Radhika Fox, CEO, U.S. Water Alliance, will discuss solutions and what various cities, states and water systems are doing about the problem, and what’s working and not working. [bio]
• Monica Lewis-Patrick, Co-founder, President and CEO, We the People of Detroit, will highlight challenges for low-income families and discuss advocacy to help protect their communities and the right to water. [bio]

Space is limited!