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You can now pay someone’s delinquent Detroit water bill online
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By Kiratiana Freelon July 23  

DETROIT, MI - JULY 18 : Demonstrators protest against the Detroit Water and Sewer Department July 18, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit Water and Sewer Department have disconnected water to thousands of Detroit residents who are delinquent with their bills. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)
The Detroit Water Project, a platform to help donors pay the delinquent water bills of people in Detroit, started with a Twitter conversation.

Tiffani Bell and Kristy Tillman have never met in person, but they've enjoyed a social media friendship that began with their mutual love for technology. Last week, their back-and-forth about the Detroit water crisis quickly evolved into a discussion about how to help pay people's overdue water bills.


Emily Badger reported last week that half of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department customers have not been paying their bills — equal to about 91,000 delinquent accounts. As of April 30, those past due owed an average of $540.01.

Last week, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department was poised to cut off water for those with delinquent accounts. Perhaps due to protests and even international pressure, the water company announced Monday that it's delaying the water turn-off until the end of July so residents in the hard-hit city can prove that they don't have enough money to pay their bill.

"Both of us wanted to help people," Bell said in an interview this week. "We were both willing to pay a bill for someone. But how were we supposed to do that?"

Bell, in Oakland, Calif., and Tillman, in Boston, started to build a platform to help Detroit residents pay their water bills.



They launched the Detroit Water Project  just hours after their initial Twitter chat and before the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's postponement was announced. The project initially sought out people who needed help. Soon, their Web site added a field for donors.


Those seeking payment assistance through the Detroit Water Project must fill out a form with their name, address, account number and amount past due. This allows the project to verify their account status. Donors submit their e-mail address and the amount they are willing to pledge; the Detroit Water Project sends directions on how to pay a delinquent bill. The donor does not see the person's name, address or telephone number.

Bell has found that donors respond quickly once they have been matched with a person in need. Bell and Tillman never see any of the money.