Ban on US water shutoffs could have prevented thousands of Covid deaths - study

[Rollo]

10. Fortunately California has a governor who prevented such shutoffs last April

https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/

I've lived here since '63, but was unaware that people were in danger of getting their water shutoff. In general water bills are much less that gas/electricity bills, but in a pandemic it all can be too much to pay. As the article says,

The unpaid water bills total $1 billion, according to new data from the State Water Resources Control Board. That may dwarf statewide rental debt, which the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office pegged at $400 million.

Californian’s water debt crisis, which Newsom called a “critical issue” on Monday, represents another pandemic ripple effect that jeopardizes basic human needs in the face of disaster: a shelter from the virus, safe water to drink and wash hands.

“Water to us is the most basic form of PPE,” said Jonathan Nelson, policy director for the nonprofit Community Water Center.

Water debt and potential shutoffs weigh most heavily on low-income communities of color, who suffer disproportionately from job loss and coronavirus itself. Meanwhile, unpaid bills threaten smaller water systems serving rural, poor areas.