New Yorkers Are Being Crushed Under Water Debt
Water is a basic human right — yet a growing number of New Yorkers are suffering immensely under water debt and face the bleak prospect of an end of the state's water shutoff moratorium at the end of this month.
The cost of water has risen dramatically in the United States over the past two decades. (Unsplash)
On October 25, 2019, two days before her quarterly bill was due, Marie, fifty-four, woke up to find that no water was coming out of her faucets.
She had known she was about $800 behind on water bill payments, but hadn’t realized that her water would be shut off. “I thought I had until at least the next bill was due, on October 27,” Marie said.
When Marie called to have the water turned back on, Veolia, the private company that manages Buffalo’s water services, demanded she pay at least half of what she owed on the spot, Marie said — more than $400. She borrowed the money from her aunt.
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