SIGN NOW: STOP WATER SHUTOFFS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND RESTORE WATER ACCESS IMMEDIATELY
State and Federal Elected Leaders
In a time where frequent handwashing is essential in preventing COVID-19’s deadly spread, people urgently need clean, safe water running from their faucets.
Sign the petition now to tell state and national officials: Stop water shutoffs and restore water access for all Americans.
Water is a basic human need and a right. But the coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated our national crisis of water insecurity, where an estimated 15 million Americans—that’s 1 out of every 20 households—are going without running water, mainly because they can’t afford to pay for it.
We need to raise our voices together, because thousands of people will die if we don't address water shutoffs across the country.
The U.S. House of Representatives proposed a third COVID-19 stimulus package that included a ban on utility shutoffs during the pandemic and allocated $1.5 billion to help pay low-income families’ water bills. Unfortunately, the Senate version, which ultimately got signed into law, left out these crucial pieces.
We need nationwide legislation immediately, following the lead of states like Michigan that have not only established a moratorium on new water shutoffs, but are also requiring utilities to turn people’s water back on if it’s been shut off.
To:
State and Federal Elected Leaders
From:
[Your Name]
Shutting off water during a pandemic is dangerous and unconscionable.
For the duration of COVID-19’s spread, you must immediately pass a moratorium on all water shut-offs, and immediately restore water access for everyone whose service has been cut off. Municipalities need funding to reconnect people’s water as soon as possible.
Until service is restored, governments must open emergency public water distribution stations where people can pick up free water. These water stations are crucial not only for individuals, but for community groups that deliver water to people who can’t come pick it up themselves. With people hoarding bottled water supplies, such groups are struggling to find enough water.
And finally, water is a basic human need and right. An estimated 15 million Americans—1 out of every 20 households—are going without running water, a crisis in itself. We need a longer-term national water affordability plan for utilities to issue percentage-of-income payment plans. With a rate structure that takes people’s income into account, people who cannot afford water bills will be protected from shutoffs.