January, 2007

Water, water everywhere -- For private corporations, and not a drop for residents

BY MARIAN KRAMER, MICHIGAN WELFARE RIGHTS ORGANIZATION

DETROIT -- The struggle over water shut-offs and lower sewage rates in Detroit, which has been going on for over four years, is now at an intense level. Over 45,000 homes had their water shut-off and these figures are increasing. We receive daily calls from residents complaining about water shut-offs. The battle lines have been drawn between the residents of the City of Detroit -- who are the rightful owners of the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD)--and the Directors of the Water Department: Victor Mercado, CEO (who is privatizing certain departments of the water department), the Detroit City Council, the Mayor of Detroit and the 88-year-old Federal District Court Judge, John Feinkens, (referred to as the Water Czar).

The community was told to submit a plan to solve the water crisis. We submitted the Water Affordability Program. It was designed by Attorney Roger Colton, who was hired by a Coalition: Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Michigan Poverty Law Center, Michigan Legal Services and others. The Water Affordability Program was passed by the Detroit City Council and the Detroit Board of Water Commissioners with the scheduled implementation date of July 1, 2006. The Detroit City Council instructed the DWSD to hire Roger Colton as the Consultant to develop the program's policies. Roger completed that task, but we still do not have a Water Affordability Program in place. The implementation of the Water Affordability Program has been sabotaged. Non-elected officials are making decisions with the support of elected officials to prevent the Program from being implemented. No non-elected official has the right to make decisions contradicting City Council decisions.

Well, we have exhausted all of the legal steps and now it is time to organize! We are calling on all suburb residents. We must fight together because the elected officials in the Cities and Townships are protectors of the corporations and are moving toward privatization of our water. They are trying to divide us by saying that Detroit is overcharging suburb residents for water. It is the officials who are overcharging residents of both Detroit and the suburbs. Meanwhile, research will show that corporations who use the water for their manufacturing are not being made to pay their fair share. Our victory will be in leading the fight -- together -- for quality water and keeping it public.

The City of Detroit, along with its suburbs, controls one of the nation's largest water and sewer systems, a network of plants, pumps and pipes that serve 4.3 million people. They are involved in a 30-year fight over whether the Region will take over the Detroit Water and Sewage Department, a further step toward privatization. This fight is controlled by Judge Feiken who serves the corporate interests. It is time to organize! Join the Spring Offensive.

Call Michigan Welfare Rights Organization for more information at (313) 964-0618 or visit our website at www.mwro.org.

From the Editors

Water is a $100 Billion industry in America and growing fast! The giant water corporations -- like Suez, Vivendi, and RWE--are set to make mountains of profit by taking over the remaining 85% U.S. public water companies. Who will afford the soaring rates? The only solution is to take over these huge corporations and make them public, not private property, so every human being has water.

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