Heat emergency shows why we must keep the water flowing

Two years ago, Philadelphia stopped disconnecting household water service as a pandemic protection. As the pandemic moratorium ended, and shutoffs were set to resume, the city delayed to keep water flowing during the recent heat health emergency.

That’s all fine and good, but once the heat emergency is over, temperatures will still be at scorching levels for weeks. Water is a public health necessity — the city should not resume shutoffs until temperatures have cooled significantly.

Access to running water is critical. In extreme heat, hydration is the best protection against heat-related illness. With an ongoing pandemic and heat waves becoming more frequent and intense, cutting off water service to families will only hurt Philadelphia’s most vulnerable.

That often includes families with young children and individuals with chronic illnesses. In extreme weather, the extent of suffering is not universal. The very young and those with chronic conditions are at a much higher risk of serious illness.

Philadelphia has been an early water equity leader, creating the first income-based water affordability program in the country. The Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) limits water rates for people with low incomes to 3% of their income, per the United Nations’ “right to water” recommendation.

During the pandemic, the city went further than most other municipalities by not only pausing water service disconnections for families behind on their water bills but also proactively restoring water service to an estimated 15,000 families. This was important for public health, as handwashing is the first line of defense against disease. Multiple studies found that if water shutoffs had been stopped nationally, both COVID-19 infection rates and deaths would have been significantly reduced.

While COVID continues to spread through our region, access to handwashing should be among our most basic guarantees. Despite the overwhelming evidence of the importance of water service, the Philadelphia Water Department has resumed shutoffs for around 20,000 households that owe more than $1,000 on their water bills. To mitigate this, it’s announced community engagement events to inform residents about assistance programs and new protections for households, like a grace period for customers who are trying to enroll in an assistance program. Funding from the federal Low Income Household Water Assistance Program will provide eligible low-income Philadelphians up to $5,000 for unpaid water bills.

While these are important protections, these programs are only a Band-Aid on a larger problem. For one, staying enrolled is a challenge for many. Program participants are eligible to have their debt forgiven after two years of compliance, yet in 2019, nearly half of those in TAP were bumped out at the annual recertification period due to a lack of documentation. It benefits everyone if they stay in — if people can pay their water bills, then fewer households are at risk of water shutoffs and debt.

Philadelphia’s poverty rate is 23.1%. Even more daunting is the fact that 32.2% of children in Philadelphia live in poverty. This puts hundreds of thousands of people at risk of being water insecure in this city alone. A National Bureau of Economic Research report shows that water insecure households are more likely to be headed by people of color.

Utility shutoffs are precursors to eviction, creating a cascade of threats to family safety and stability. And, of course, access to safe, affordable drinking water isn’t just a problem in Philadelphia. Across the country, communities are struggling to afford the billions needed to replace lead pipes and outdated infrastructure while keeping water service affordable.

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The water department has cited shutoffs as an important tool to ensure payment and that its budget took a significant hit due to the pandemic protections. While we’re sympathetic to challenging times, Philadelphia must prioritize public health. Other cities are taking action: Just last month, Chicago permanently banned water disconnections for nonpaying residential customers.

Pennsylvania’s leaders should push for continued investment in our state’s water infrastructure and a federal water affordability program. At the same time, we urge the city’s leadership to look for alternatives to shutting off access to water, guaranteeing access to safe, affordable water, protecting public health first, and ensuring all our communities can thrive.

Shukriyyah Mitchell Hinton has worked as a public health nurse in Philadelphia for over a decade. She currently serves as the senior director of outreach and advocacy with the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, a subsidiary of Public Health Management Corp.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.