The Metro: What started in Detroit is now a statewide fight to treat water as a human right
For years, Michigan communities—from Detroit to small towns and rural counties—have struggled under rising water rates, mounting household debt, and widespread shutoffs. Now a bipartisan group of lawmakers is reviving a statewide affordability plan.
As shutoffs and rising bills strain households, advocates say the solution begins with recognizing water as a human right.
Michiganders have lived with water insecurity for years. Detroit’s mass shutoffs in the mid-2010s put the issue in the national spotlight, but the struggle didn’t stay in Detroit. Residents in small cities and rural towns have faced rising rates, aging systems, and growing household debt, too.
This year, lawmakers are taking another run at a statewide fix.
A new bipartisan set of bills would create a state fund for low-income water assistance, cap bills for many struggling households, and set firm rules around when water can be shut off. The plan nearly passed last session in the Michigan legislature, but collapsed in the final days. Now it’s back with updated language, a broader coalition, and a place on the Michigan Senate floor.
Democratic State Senator Stephanie Chang has spent years drafting and refining statewide affordability legislation and Sylvia Orduño, a longtime organizer with the People’s Water Board Coalition, has worked on water access and human rights advocacy for more than 25 years.
They joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss why this moment matters, and what Michigan could gain or lose in the months ahead.
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