Water: A Human Right

"Seed corn must not be ground" ~ Goethe
Image by Kaethe Kollwitz

At the same time the United Nations General Assembly recognizes clean water and sanitization as a Human Right the first world countries are moving to commoditize it.  Yes, indeed.  The very thing that sustains the entire planet may soon be at the mercy of private business; of investors; of the stock market.

Do you think water rights are not at risk of leaving your municipality?  Your neighborhood?  Think again.

You think it doesn't matter?  Think again.  For example, take a look at territories in Ohio serviced by Aqua Ohio.  Or maybe take a look at American Water.  Both Investor Owned Companies would be subject to Ohio's HB 87 of the 129th General Assembly that the Ohio Consumers' Counsel is watching closely and for which they are providing testimony on behalf of consumers.

Keep this in mind as we bring our thoughts back to our local politic here in Cleveland.  The City of Cleveland, led by Mayor Frank Jackson, is considering balancing the budget for the upcoming year by increasing water rates.  On Saturday, February 26th, 2011, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported about the proposed budget fix.  In "Troubled Cleveland Division of Water to Seek Rate Hike This Year," Mark Gillespie outlines the Mayor's plan would raise an additional $15 million through increased water and sewer charges.  Additionally, $2.5 million was recently approved "to hire a 'turnaround' firm to fix operations and management."

[Raised eyebrow]

Hmmm.  Interesting.  I wonder where that $2.5 large is coming from... this year's or last year's budget?     The rates won't increase until the $2.5M turnaround gal or guy finishes their work.  I'm doubtful the turnaround will happen within the city's budget year.  More troubling is the time frame and process given City Council to deliberate on this and request public comment.  A couple of days...and a bully pulpit aimed at passage.

I remember sitting in my house last year listening to "The Sound of Ideas" discussing the billing debacle that followed the City upgrading water meters.  Some bills were orders of magnitude larger than they should have been.  Others stopped arriving.  Making matters worse was the Water Division's 'customer service' that went along with the erroneous or missing bills.  A friend says it best on his blog, Adjust My Water Bill, when he says,

          Problem solved.  

          Maybe the officials at Cleveland's embattled Division of Water 

          figure that if enough people receive water shut-off notices, 

          then their billing system will be under less stress, and the bills 

          will magically correct themselves.

The suburban customers are wondering how the rate hike will impact their bills.  The $15M is aimed at budget balancing not at improving distribution or anything having to do with customer service.

Everyone notes that the water infrastructure is severely deteriorated and getting worse.  Even in my work with the Federal EPA in business innovation research grants for air and water safety, we are clear that the water distribution system in large old cities is not only deteriorating and a potential hazard, it is rife with opportunity for bioterrorism.  It needs to be fixed. But that is a discussion for later.  

Our mayor's solution is this: Bring in a private firm to make everything right.  This is not a good solution. Take a look around you, Cleveland. What is the biggest water resource in our state that has not yet been privatized?  Hello, Cleveland... look north. What happens to us if our water is traded as a commodity, if the thing that stands before you is no longer simply the government but an investor, a company, a board of directors, the stock market?  

We have a human right to safe and affordable drinking water. In a world filled with the shoulda-coulda-wouldas of knee-jerk solutions, we should make the effort to set our community's water system straight as a community. 

Our city is making a mistake by not seeing us as a resource pool of talent, creativity and strength. Instead of looking to this community as a resource, our city chooses to cut off dialog, to to circle the horses and to disregard the needs, voices and talents of its most precious resource -- our people. 

Some good news might be held within the report entitled "The Global Water Ventures of Cleveland," issued in December 2007, jointly issued by the Cuyahoga Planning Commission and EcoCity Cleveland (now the Green City Blue Lake Institute).  This study researches the feasibility of making our county a center for freshwater use and ecosystems research. Still, it is looking at our water as a business venture.  We need to be mindful that all business is not created equal, but could bring business to the city -- viable business; business necessary to sustaining life on this planet.

I implore our City leaders to look at other ways of fixing the city's budget.  Water rate increases should be in proportion to the increase of costs related to processing and increased services.  I ask them to be mindful that our "turnaround" consultant may bring us one step closer to the road to commoditizing our water.  I ask them to consider the fact that they cannot right our budget in this economy by acting in a bureaucratic silo; that we need serious deliberative public dialog.

None of this can happen without first addressing the meaning of "CUSTOMER SERVICE."  For a city government, that not only means enforcing rules with a generosity of spirit, but it also means being good stewards of the public assets: money, buildings, infrastructure.

Your assets are here Cleveland; they are in your people.  Look individuals in the eye and engage them on what it means for each to live.

We mustn't spend our future to get out of trouble now.  Now, more than ever, it is essential to get out of this crisis of budget, economy, home and faith together; as a community.

Seed corn must not be ground.  ~ Goethe

[More on water resources around the world can be found here at the Trade Observatory]