Melissa Dettloff lives in Russell Woods and was enrolled in Detroit’s water affordability plan from 2022 until September. Through the program, she paid $18 a month for her water bill.
In September, she got a letter in the mail notifying her that the program was ending.
Dettloff, who is low-income and lives by herself, was part of the city’s income-based Lifeline Plan — which at its peak served 29,000 households. But the program ran through its reserves, forcing the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) to rework it. Now just 5,000 households can enroll at a $34 monthly rate…