Premium
Water quality reports boost consumer confidence
Author(s) -
Jordan Charles G.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.1998.tb08357.x
Subject(s) - consumer confidence index , quality (philosophy) , low confidence , business , water quality , key (lock) , affect (linguistics) , marketing , environmental economics , computer science , computer security , economics , psychology , social psychology , ecology , philosophy , communication , epistemology , biology
The consumer confidence report, which is really a water quality report, is an opportunity to communicate with customers. By late 1998, according to provisions in the reauthorized Safe Drinking Water Act, all community water systems will be required to produce an annual consumer confidence report—really a water quality report—for their customers. Consumers will gain confidence if they learn what their drinking water contains, how it might affect them, and what the utility is doing about potential problems. Utility managers should approach this report more as a communication exercise than a technical exercise. Simplicity is the key to providing an effective water quality report for customers. This article describes how a water system can produce a consumer confidence report that informs customers and complies with the law.