Detroiters get false water shutoff notices

• Tweet

DETROIT, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department said a computer glitch caused many residents to receive notices threatening to shut off their water.

Mary Sevakis, a spokeswoman for the department, said the false shutoff notices told residents their homes would go dry unless they made immediate payments of more than $900.

"It's a computer software glitch," Sevakis said. "We received numerous customer complaints about the notices, and we determined that they referred to one address and one account that had an overdue balance. Customers who received those notices had no connection to that account, and they don't have to worry about their water being shut off."