To ensure public safety, should water utilities prioritize message clarity, compliance with regulatory requirements, or both? But can they really accomplish both those objectives?
The mandatory language requirements for emergency water notifications were established before social media existed. So, when utilities alert the public about local water emergencies in this new media environment, they face a difficult tradeoff. They could make messages clear, short, and easy to understand for the most people. But they also have required safety information, such as contaminant levels, system IDs, and follow-up information, that is mandated for regulatory compliance. The problem is that all this required information adds complexity to what is communicated.
In our new study, we analyzed 85 boil water advisories from four major Texas water utilities to examine this problem. We found that utilities communicate differently depending on the medium. Press releases complied with state regulations, but we found that they are difficult to read for citizens without a high school education. Social media posts are more accessible but 97% of them don’t include compulsory language such as contamination level or the contact information that regulations require.
We also found differences across cities. San Antonio’s advisories were the most readable, while Austin and El Paso’s were the most complex. Across all utilities, boil water advisories included more regulatory compliance language than the messages informing the public that the advisory had been lifted and their water was again safe to drink.
This matters because boil-water advisories are critical during emergencies. If people don’t understand a message or they receive incomplete information, they may unknowingly drink unsafe water or simply not know what to do.
Our study offers practical recommendations, including updated regulatory guidance. Agencies may want to expand their regulatory templates by considering the message readability and developing platform-specific messaging that reflects how people receive emergency information today.
Read the full open-access study in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420925008064?via%3Dihub
Authors include Kyudong Kim, Euijin Yang, Mir Rabby, Keri K. Stephens, Roselia Mendez Murillo, Matthew McGlone, Sergio Castellanos, and Kasey M. Faust.
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation as part of the Strengthening America’s Infrastructure Program.