No one should lose access to water because of an inability to pay a water bill. Utilities often claim that shutoffs are a necessary collection tool to protect utility revenues and to prevent unscrupulous people from “free riding” on paying customers. However, studies ranging from the 1970s to recent decades have
demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of households pay their utility bills when they are able.
The truth is that when people don’t pay, it is usually because the bills are simply unaffordable.