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OEC Applauds Toledo City Council’s Commitment to Addressing Drinking Water Accessibility

TOLEDO, OH — The Ohio Environmental Council applauds Toledo City Council for their continued commitment to addressing the affordability and accessibility of water utility service while also ensuring they can deliver safe drinking water. Toledo City Council Ordinance 200-20 (Voluntary Termination of Water Services) passed today with unanimous support. Once fully enacted, the ordinance will prohibit property managers or landlords from terminating water service to a property if it is occupied by a tenant.

 

The following statement can be attributed in whole, or in part, to Nick Mandros, Northwest Ohio Director for the Ohio Environmental Council:

“No one should be denied access to water resources. However, tenants often encounter situations where they must pay for water service to avoid disconnection for nonpayment or landlords will terminate water services intentionally to evict tenants. This is unacceptable. We applaud the City of Toledo for passing this common sense approach to improving water access for tenants, avoiding unnecessary shutoffs and the devastating impact that a loss of water services can cause, especially for vulnerable families facing poverty.”

“Access to clean, safe, and affordable water is the foundation of a thriving city. We must continue to develop an equitable system of water distribution where all people will be provided access to clean, safe water at a price they can afford.” 

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The Ohio Environmental Council works for pragmatic solutions to keep Ohio clean and beautiful, and our communities safe. We fight for clean air and water, clean energy, and protected public lands. We hold polluters accountable in court while working with communities and companies that want to invest in a clean, more sustainable direction. For nearly 50 years, we have led many of the major environmental policy wins in Ohio.

The OEC’s Northwest Ohio Program has been working to support local residents and community partners in their efforts to advance water access and affordability policies affecting low income residents in northwest Ohio.