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New President,
New Vision For Water
I
n the midst of this U.S. presidential race, a thought about Ronald Reagan (apolitical, I promise):
Known as the "Great Communicator," it's certainly no coincidence that Reagan was an actor
before becoming president; and honed communication skills, especially in times of trouble, are
vital to effective leadership.
But this space is not reserved for talk of national presidential proceedings, thankfully. As it
happens, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) has its own great communicator,
Jeanne Bennett-Bailey, to be named president at the culmination of the organization's Annual
Conference and Exhibition (ACE) — and not a moment too soon.
With the lead contamination of Flint, MI, and its fallout grabbing national headlines, water
utilities are suddenly in the position of defending their longstanding, exceptional record of
service. Add that to the existing storyline where water and wastewater utilities have, for years,
struggled to convey the "value of water" — to obtain financing for infrastructure renewal — and
it's clear that effective consumer outreach is more essential right now than ever before.
It's fortunate, then, that Bennett-Bailey is stepping in as president for AWWA. Even better
than actor-turned-president, the 30-year industry veteran comes into the role having recently
been public affairs officer at Virginia's largest drinking water utility, Fairfax Water, which serves
nearly 2 million people in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Her focus, however, just got
much bigger.
How will Bennett-Bailey allay fears and inspire progress in these tough times? Here are her
thoughts — moreover, her words (an important distinction for communicators) — on four of
the industry's biggest challenges.
On Flint: Restoring Confidence, Removing Lead
Water professionals understand that confidence is earned over many decades and can be damaged
very quickly. They strive to produce safe water 24/7, and, in the vast majority of cases, they deliver
on that goal. In many ways, water, like politics, is local. If a utility has good relationships with its
customers, it's unlikely that what happens elsewhere will have lasting damage.
An AP poll in the middle of the
Flint crisis showed about half the
population was either extremely
confident or very confident in tap
water. Two in 10 said they were
not confident, so there's always
more work that can be done. We
need to continue to find ways for
people to get to know their water.
… It's difficult to say
something good will come out
of what happened in Flint, but
if we fast-forward a few years,
hopefully we'll see some positive outcomes. First, families will be more aware of all lead risks,
including those from water, and they will be inspired to take steps to reduce exposure. And second,
as a society, we'll have taken more purposeful steps to get the lead out altogether — lead service lines
and home plumbing included. AWWA published a study in March that showed some 6.1 million
lead service lines remain in the U.S. alone. That suggests there has been progress over the past couple
decades, but there's a long way to go.
On Communication: Earning Positive Press
Generating positive media stories sometimes takes more work and planning, but it can be done
and is being done by utilities every day. We can look for calendar moments such as Drinking Water
EDITOR'S LETTER
By Kevin Westerling
Chief Editor, editor@wateronline.com
6
It's difficult to say
something good will come
out of what happened
in Flint, but if we fast-
forward a few years,
hopefully we'll see some
positive outcomes.
Jeanne Bennett-Bailey,
president-elect,
American Water Works Association (AWWA)