TFTT Report

FACT-CHECKING CAMPAIGN PROVES FOOD & WATER WATCH AND CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY INTERNATIONAL’S WATER CLAIMS AS FALSE

Washington, DC – TruthfromtheTap.com launched today, becoming the first fact-checking effort designed specifically to debunk false claims about the private water industry being made by groups like Food & Water Watch and Corporate Accountability International. The website exposes the misleading research, incomplete analysis, and agenda–driven rhetoric these groups and their allies use to dissuade communities from partnering with companies that specialize in upgrading critical water infrastructure, managing water systems, and promoting environmental stewardship.

“People make the best decisions when they have all the facts,” said Michael Deane, the executive director of the National Association of Water Companies. “We have seen a pattern of activists misleading communities across the country with incorrect and incomplete accounts of how cities partner with water companies. TruthfromtheTap.com provides fact-based information and analysis to unmask the misinformation these organizations are spreading.”

“These are not local grassroots organizations. They are well funded, national or Washington, D.C.-based groups, with international connections. For example, ninety percent of the funding Food & Water Watch raised in 2011 and 2012 – a total of $20.8 million – came from 11 anonymous donations. Donors, who are known to the activist groups but not to the public, are funneling money through a series of foundations. Those foundations then feed millions into activists groups such as Food & Water Watch, making it nearly impossible to determine who is really behind the anti-private water agenda.”

For the first time, TruthfromtheTap.com:

• Traces tens of millions of dollars in anonymous donations funneled through foundations before arriving in the coffers of Food & Water Watch and other groups;
• Connects the organized effort among Food & Water Watch, Alliance for Democracy, In the Public Interest, WaterJustice.org, local FLOW groups, and Corporate Accountability International to share information and research;
• Tells the story of what really happened when private water companies operated systems in Atlanta, GA; Indianapolis and Gary, IN; Felton, CA; and Milwaukee, WI;
• Uncovers the self-proclaimed experts who author studies that cite partial timelines and distorted evidence to advance an ideological argument; and
• Exposes cherry-picking tactics where critics leave out important events or essential pieces of information when making claims about the operation of a community’s water system.

TruthfromtheTap.com is a fact-checking campaign of the National Association of Water Companies dedicated to providing facts to those who want to make informed decisions about the water industry. NAWC is the voice of the private water industry, including companies that own regulated water and wastewater utilities or partner with municipalities in a public-private partnership.