TFTT Report
Water Companies Invest More Than $3 Billion in Community Water Systems in 2018
As pipes and pumps age and treatment facilities require upgrades, America’s water infrastructure faces an intense need for investment. Our nation’s drinking water infrastructure received a “D” grade on the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2017 Infrastructure Report Card. Due to aging infrastructure, water utilities in the United States lose 16 percent of treated water […]
New TFTT Resource on Baltimore Details How Activists are Protecting the Failing Status Quo
In a new factsheet – Activists Rush to Protect Failing Status Quo in Baltimore – Truth from the Tap details the misguided activist campaign that has ultimately prevented Baltimore from receiving the many benefits that come from working with a water company. Instead of considering all options, Baltimore’s decisionmakers followed misinformed advice from activists ideologically […]
Activists Want Politicians with Zero Oversight to Control Your Drinking Water
Food & Water Watch (FWW) and other activists often talk about “local control” as the main benefit to having a government-run water system. As the activist story goes, local elected officials are responsive to voters and therefore will provide great water services. However, the realities of “local control” under a government-run water system are much […]
Powelson: Misinformation campaign will prolong Pittsburgh’s water woes
On the heels of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro filing 161 criminal charges against the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA), NAWC President and CEO Robert Powelson published an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that addressed Pittsburgh’s long-time infrastructure crisis. Powelson details how “delayed infrastructure investment and utility mismanagement” and “choosing low water rates over […]
Powelson highlights exceptional record of water companies in Providence letter
In a letter to the Providence Journal, Robert Powelson, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Water Companies, corrects inaccurate claims made about water companies and the solutions they could offer to help address the city’s water system needs. Powelson’s letter cites findings from a 2018 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that […]
Activists Celebrate ‘Huge Victory’ of Protecting Failing Status Quo in Baltimore
Last week, Corporate Accountability International (CAI) sent an email blast to supporters that celebrated a “huge victory” in Baltimore. And earlier this week, Food & Water Watch (FWW) excitedly claimed that Baltimore had “emerged as a water justice leader.” So, why all the fanfare? On the heels of a coordinated misinformation campaign, these activists convinced […]
New Case Study Exposes Faulty Condemnation Narrative in Visalia
Truth from the Tap has added a new resource to its Condemnation Toolkit – a case study on the failed condemnation effort in Visalia, California. The water system in Visalia has been owned and operated by California Water Service (Cal Water) since 1926. Cal Water employs more than 60 water professionals in Visalia who together […]
Baltimore Residents Should Heed Warning About Limiting Water System Options
Earlier this year, NAWC president and CEO Rob Powelson penned an op-ed for the Baltimore Sun in which he pushed back against the recent effort to ban water system privatization in Baltimore. In advance of the November 6th ballot measure vote on Question E, it is crucial for Baltimore residents to recognize the false rates and local […]
Costs and Broken Promises Continue to Mount Following Government Takeover in Missoula
In a guest column for the Missoulian, Quentin Rhoades, a local attorney, speaks out against the disastrous government takeover of Missoula, Montana’s privately-owned, professionally-managed water system. In the column, Rhoades chastises the Missoula Mayor for pitching the takeover as a successful David v. Goliath story to the city of Monterey, California, which is currently considering […]
Former Illinois Commerce Commission Chair: Government Takeover of Water System Would Be a Bad Deal for Peoria
Last week, Philip O’Connor, the former chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), penned an op-ed about why a government takeover of Peoria’s water system, owned and managed by Illinois American Water, would be a bad deal for residents. Specifically, he notes it would “remove the ICC’s professional and independent regulation of water service including […]