Atlanta begins to shut off water to delinquent accounts

ATLANTA - Water customers in the city of Atlanta who have yet to pay delinquent bills will find shutoff notices on their doors. 

Taps are to be cut for some 20,000 ratepayers in the first enforcement action in twelve years.

The city took a hands-off approach because of the coronavirus making sanitation the priority 

But officials complain too many customers took advantage and did not try to pay their bills. 

The cuts for residential customers are slated to start this week. 

There has been a rush over the holidays to get down to city hall and make financial arrangements. More than 500 making personal visits over two weeks. 

Authorities are mandating that customers pay something to keep water flowing. 

If the taps are turned off, it may take forty-eight hours to get them back on. 

But that won't happen if a ratepayer does not make a restart payment. It makes sense, officials say, to come in and set up a payment plan before you turn on the faucet and find only a drip, drip, drip.