The first sign that our mother in California was suffering from beginning Alzheimer’s was when we learned that she was sending envelopes without letters inside.
We then learned that she was doing the same with her household bills.
I thought of this when a lady at the Port Townsend Senior Center said that she had visited an elderly friend who told her that she couldn’t get her water to work.
Her water had been shut off.
Being delinquent in paying your Port Townsend water bill can result in your water being shut off.
Like my mother, this lady had resources to pay her utility bills but didn’t remember to do it.
She was probably notified by mail that she was delinquent, and her water would be shut off, but didn’t understand the letter.
Shutting off a household’s water supplies creates a dangerous situation.
The effects of dehydration are very serious.
Water is critical for the elderly but also for families with children.
What is the impact on not having water for bathing, washing, and cooking?
The city doesn’t have to shut off a household’s water and has other options to collect the debt.
Port Townsend Municipal Code 13.05.100 states that the city may temporarily shut off water to a customer and that delinquent accounts result in a lien against the property.
The code further states that the city can use all legal means to collect the debt.
It’s too dangerous to shut off a person’s water supply.
Robert Gray
Port Townsend
Former Port Townsend City Council member