Much More Than a Drop in the Bucket: Impacts of Water Debt and Shutoffs on Residents and Utilities

Read and download a brief of this report at ElevateNP.org/Publications/Report-Brief-Much-More-Than-a-Drop-in-the-Bucket. 

As the cost of water service rises nationally, it is imperative that decision-makers understand the scale and scope of water affordability challenges for residents and municipal drinking water utilities, including the impacts of water debt and shutoffs.

This report is a synthesis of Elevate and other water advocates’ work to understand the scale and scope of water affordability challenges for residents and municipal drinking water utilities, with a specific focus on water debt and shutoffs. We explore these issues through:

1. An analysis of existing quantitative data on water debt and shutoffs, including Elevate and its partners’ analyses of municipal billing data.
2. A synthesis of interviews, media stories, and stories shared during Elevate’s water reconnection work, highlighting the lived experience of debt and shutoffs, both for residents and utilities.

This report builds on previous work related to water burden in northeastern Illinois alongside partners at Metropolitan Planning Council and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Learn more about this work at ElevateNP.org/Water-Affordability.