DETROIT, MI (AP)-- Cold weather will slow water shutoffs in Detroit, but not halt a nearly yearlong push to collect on past due accounts.
Detroit Water Department spokeswoman Curtrise Garner tells The Associated Press that crews will stop disconnections only during long bouts of below freezing temperatures when the ground is too hard to reach water connections.
Service has been disconnected to 31,300 customers since January 1. A several-week moratorium allowed some customers to enter into payment plans.
Collections in Detroit have topped $4 million so far this year, up from $2.5 million in 2013. Service also has been restored to more than 17,400 customers.
American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan spokesman Darrell Dawsey says the organization is monitoring the shutoffs "particularly ... during cold months when folks need hot water."