DETROIT, MI (AP)-- The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is putting businesses on notice that it will shut off water service if they don't pay their bills.
The Detroit News reports the department is sending warning letters this week to about 200 commercial and industrial customers with accounts listed as more than 60 days overdue, including a golf business and a cemetery.
The warnings follow recent efforts by the department to crack down on residential customers who don't pay by shutting off service. The effort has prompted protests from longtime Democratic U.S. Representative John Conyers of Detroit and others aimed at stopping the residential shutoffs.
Meanwhile, The News and the Detroit Free Press report the department on Tuesday announced a $1 million program to help low-income residents pay water bills.