CLS’s Energy Unit has fought for 40 years for the rights of low-income families to maintain affordable water service. More than 30,000 families have their water service shut off each year in Philadelphia, presenting risks to health, family unity, and housing. In recognition of epidemic levels of shut offs, CLS advocated successfully for groundbreaking water affordability legislation which will be implemented in Fall 2017. Our water affordability work has drawn nationwide interest and forged our partnership with the National Human Rights to Water and Sanitation Coalition. As we approach implementation of a new water affordability program, we are examining strategies to help focus further attention and outreach to serve those most in need. This project will assess the frequency and location of water shut-offs in Philadelphia, determining where affordability assistance will be most vital. Mapping shut offs may also provide important indices of racial and economic disparity in water access.
CLS has obtained an Excel spreadsheet identifying the addresses for all water shut-offs conducted from July 2013 through March 2016. This will be the primary dataset. CLS also has geographic information about the Philadelphia Water Department’s outreach for Safe Drinking Water Act testing. This data will help to identify locations of risk for lead contamination in drinking water and may show a correlation with concentrations of families at risk for water conatmination and water shut off.
CLS would like to explore the addition of “overlay” datasets concerning the likely location of lead water service lines, receipt of water assistance grants, American Community Surveys, and City property records.
CLS anticipates an interactive presentation, such as a “heat map,” depicting the incidence of shut-offs over time, broken down by smaller geographic boundaries such as zip codes, City Council districts or Congressional districts. We would also like to map race and income by neighborhood as an overlay.
The success of the new first in the nation Philadelphia water affordability program turns on its ability to reach those customers who are unable to afford basic household expenses, and who would otherwise have their water shut off. Being able to assess where the need is greatest will provide us and other stakeholders the ability to provide targeted outreach, advocacy and community education to ensure the success of this new program. We foresee this information being of interest to City Council members, Philadelphia Water Department personnel, utility financial assistance providers, and members of the National Coalition on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation We all share a stake in the success of this groundbreaking affordability program, and these maps would provide a baseline against which to measure.
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