Water agencies today can’t afford not to communicate with their publics.
The issues are diverse: COVID-19. PFAS. Odors. Lead. Sewer overflows. Water main breaks. Boil orders. Facility improvements funded by rate hikes. To win public support in both good and difficult times, utilities need to make sure customers understand the work they do and how well they do it.
So says Mike McGill, founder of WaterPIO (for public information officer), a communications firm based in Hampstead, North Carolina. McGill launched the business in 2016 with a background in local and national news reporting, public relations and communications with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Loudoun
