Good Water

Abstract

In my December 2024 column, I outlined the paradigms of clean and safe water—clean enough to swim in, safe enough to drink—but it's common to see these terms used together as clean, safe drinking water. As a water wonk, the combination of clean and safe bothers me, but I think I understand the intent, because while centered on human health and fire protection, drinking water is also a consumer good, and communities expect more than safe water—they expect to enjoy the product they pay for.

Reddish-brown tap water may be nontoxic, but it stains fixtures and clothing in the washer—and it looks bad. Consumers expect that their local drinking water won’t leave stains on their clothes, fixtures, and water-using appliances, but just clean water isn’t good enough. Drinking water may be safe to drink and useful for cleaning, but if it smells and tastes bad, there's a major problem because our water, just like other consumer products, is judged on its aesthetics.

Ideally, drinking water is clear, with no distinct odors, no lingering aftertaste, and no mouth-feel sensations. Yet many local drinking water supplies can have an odor, taste, or color (seasonal or otherwise) that doesn’t affect the safety of the water but that degrades its quality—this includes chlorine or metallic tastes, along with earthy odors and sewer smells. For utilities, nothing brings in complaints quicker than discolored, bad-tasting, or foul-smelling water.

Circling back, what adjective should water professionals consider instead of “clean?” There are studies in which “pure” tests well, but the chemistry nerd in me won’t accept “pure” for anything less than 100%. However, if the word resonates with you and your community, use it! Arguments about terminology promote larger discussions about water in our society, and that's a good thing. And “good” is the term I recommend using—good, safe drinking water. Good water is trusted water—it looks good, tastes good, and feels good. If someone tells you the water in an area is no good, you have a sense of what that means.

Consumers generally trust water utilities to keep them informed about the safety and quality of their water, but the list of water's ingredients as summarized by Consumer Confidence Reports shouldn’t be the only line of regular communication. The public is part of the team, and strengthening its trust requires drinking water system owners and operators to regularly communicate with their communities, and especially about any challenges in the safety or quality of their drinking water.

Please share your insights with the water industry on how make good, safe water even better by publishing in Journal AWWA; contact me with your ideas at [email protected].