 Building Trust in Tap Water
Why promote your drinking water?
How do your customers feel about the water you provide? Do they buy bottled water to
drink because they believe it’s “purer” or “fresher” or
“just tastes better”? Do they use expensive home
filtration systems to catch contaminants that don’t
exist, or exist only in trace quantities that are not
harmful?
Many people trust bottled
water more than tap
In a 2007 telephone survey of 1,606 Washington residents,
more than half said they trust bottled water more than
tap. For young people (under age 35), fully 61 percent
said they trust bottled water more.
Yet
tap water is arguably more highly regulated and
controlled than bottled water. And, in blind taste
tests, municipal tap water often meets or even beats
bottled water.
Why this lack of trust is a problem for utilities
The lack of trust in tap water creates a downward spiral:
When ratepayers don’t trust tap water, chances are they
will be less inclined to pay for infrastructure
improvements and necessary rate increases. This affects a
utility’s bottom line and, ultimately, its ability to
provide safe and reliable drinking water over time.
Tap into Goodness:
Drink in the Goodness of Pure Washington Water
|
