An Equation for Decline: Invisible Waterworks + Silent Water Workers = Lost Customer Trust |
April 30, 2006 |
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Posted by Don Dunnington at April 30, 2006 01:09 PM |
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Why are Americans spending so much money on bottled water, when they can turn a tap and get the same, perhaps better quality water at a fraction of the cost? You could assume this is merely a manifestation of a wealthy nation of consumers, who have more disposable income than good sense (see "Bottled Water: Better than Tap?" an article on the FDA website that also addresses water filters and "Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?" from the Natural Resources Defense Council).
But this trend has lasted too long and goes too deep (see The Definitive Bottled Website for just one example of its extent) to be written off as another passing consumer fad. What we've got is a growing crisis in declining public trust in our public water resources.
That's "public" as in your customer. And while your facility, your career, your livelihood may be insulated from close public interest by layers of commissions and local, state and national bureaucracies, a decline in public trust must ultimately result in a decline of the very thing you have invested your life's work in.
In fact those protective layers, and the invisibility that comes with them, may be at the heart of the decline in public trust. Water as a public utility has become water taken for granted. You turn the tap and water comes forth. For most of human history, this would be the stuff of miracles and epic legends.
A Place Wondrous to Behold
Waterworks were once considered miraculous things, worthy of front page news. In Philadelphia, the Fairmount Waterworks was once one of the top tourist attractions in America, if not the world. There's a great essay on its history on the Delaware River Basin Commission's website. You can also listen to some of the story (or read the transcript) of the Fairmount Waterworks on "The Engines of Our Ingenuity Episode 310" from The University of Houston's College of Engineering.
From Benjamin Franklin bequeathing 100,000 pounds to Philadelphia to develop its waterworks to "insure the health, comfort and preservation of the citizens," to a young Mark Twian writing of Philadelphia's wondrous Fairmount Waterworks in 1853, to today's Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center we can see there are stories to be told about water. There are stories about the works and the workers who deliver water to our homes and businesses. There are stories to be told about the technology and engineering, the environment, the finance, the politics, the conservation and protection of our water.
Perhaps you think you've already told your story. You may have your own website like the Philadelphia Water Department. But have you entered into any online conversations about water, as is possible in a blog like this? Have you thought about starting your own conversation? If trust has been lost in our waterworks, it didn't happen overnight. And if trust is to be rebuilt, one way is to enter the conversation here.
Don Dunnington
Moderator
Comments
There's also a great alternative to bottled water - filtered water. Water filtration industry has matured, new submicron and high-tech filtration is what consumers should be looking into as alternative to the expense of bottled water. Many small sites has come up that sell high-quality water filtration systems. And the cost of owning such a system, or even a kitchen water filters or shower filters is by far smarter in the long run.
Posted by: Water filters at May 25, 2006 05:59 PM
Don,
This story seems a bit overblown - to connect the popularity of bottled water to a decline in public trust.
If you can afford it, you buy what you like. Sometimes it is what tastes best. Sometimes it is what is popular at the time. When you have a choice of Evian water or a Coke, for example. The cost may be the same, but one is better for you.
The volume of water that is used for drinking is a small percentage of the average daily consumption.
As far as filters are cocerned, they don't usually do much to affect the taste of water. Activated carbon, OK - but then it doesn't make sense to run the water we wash our car with thru AC.
I have no association to bottled water other than buying and drinking it, but I believe there is a place for it alongside the public utility supply. I cannot agree that bottled water creates ... "a decline in public trust must ultimately result in a decline of the very thing you have invested your life's work in".
I appreciate the site and comments.
Posted by: Bruce Ford at July 25, 2006 01:39 PM
Bruce,
You make a good point: lots of people buy bottled water for the taste. I knew a very successful newsletter publisher in Washington, DC, who told me there are just two appeals that sell newsletters: fear and greed. In the case of bottled water, that formula might translate into fear and taste. I might add a third element: convenience. For some, convenience would translate into turning the tap to get a drink of water. For others convenience is being able to carry water with them in a convenient, disposable plastic bottle.
I did not mean to imply that fear is the only motivator for buying water in bottles. Nor did a say bottled water "creates" a decline in trust of public utilities, such as water. I'd simply suggest that those invested in the water utility business ought to be asking themselves if, to some degree, the phenomenal increase in bottled water is a symptom of a decline in public trust, which in turn likely reflects a real lack of public knowledge about the science and technology of water delivery systems.
Thanks again for your thoughtful comment. I hope it stirs more comments, and inspires more readers to become blog authors. You are invited to be among those who become authors.
Don Dunnington
Moderator
Posted by: Don Dunnington at July 26, 2006 08:48 AM
