Disciplinary Water Policies in US Cities: An Analysis of Water Billing, Disconnection, and Affordability Policies

Keywords: water, water affordability, urban policy
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Recent research in geography has uncovered many barriers to water access in the United States (such as insufficient infrastructure and poor water quality) which manifest in spatially uneven ways, with racialized and indigenous communities disproportionately affected by such barriers. One such barrier, unaffordable water, has received increased attention from policy makers in many US cities. Analyses of the geography of water affordability have focused on the cost of water in various locations and the burden of that cost relative to household incomes. Another factor, the disciplinary policies utilities use to promote bill payment such as fees and disconnection policies, has been overlooked in this literature. This study documents the variability in water billing and disconnection policies among the 50 largest cities in the United States. In so doing, it reveals an uneven geography of policy in terms of the strictness or leniency of utilities when bills go unpaid. Data on billing and disconnection policy is then analyzed in relation to water affordability burden, poverty, and race/ethnicity in these cities to assess 1) which populations are most affected by strict billing and disconnection policies and 2) which cities create higher risk for loss of water access through the combination of strict policies and unaffordable water rates.