DETROIT – Tracy Peasant began crying on the witness stand in federal court Monday morning as she testified about buying bottled water for herself and eight children — four of whom are her grandchildren — because water at her home was cut off due to a delinquent bill of over $8,500.

"It was hard," Peasant said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

Peasant said she makes $259 a month. Her water was cut off in September 2013 because of the delinquent bill, which was extremely high at the home she rented because, she said, there was a water leak. She said she was denied assistance funds because her bill was too high.

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department never told her she could request a hearing to dispute the bill, Peasant testified.

"No, I'm not looking for free water," Peasant said. "I'm just looking for affordability, to afford it."

Peasant was the first witness in Monday's hearing before bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes about the water shut-off policy. The city has cut service to 19,000 homes in recent months. A coalition of advocacy groups requested a restraining order to stop the city from cutting off service.

The advocacy groups argue that the city implemented shut-offs unfairly, without adequate notice and with little financial assistance for poor people who lack the means to pay.

However, lawyers for the city said Detroit cannot provide free water.

Sonal Mithani of the Miller Canfield law firm said a moratorium on shut-offs would only hurt delinquent customers because their bills would pile up.

The advocacy groups called water director Sue McCormick to testify about the shut-off policy. McCormick acknowledged that the department's old rules for cutting off service are posted on the department's website. The old rules, written in 2003, call for a water department worker to "identify himself/herself to the customer" and show the past due account.

However, this year the water department hired a contractor who often made no contact with delinquent customers before shutting off their water.

Peasant said her service was unexpectedly restored in June by a woman she believed to be a water department worker. The worker was there to ensure Peasant's water had not been illegally restored. But she had a change of heart when she got to the neighborhood.

"She said, 'I can't do this with these kids and stuff. This is wrong,' " Peasant testified. "When she left, she said, 'You have some water now.' "