On 17 March 2020, three leading North American water industry associations—the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA)—released a joint statement affirming the safety of municipal tap water in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agencies also addressed reported incidents of bottled water price gouging, calling on consumers to “avoid being taken advantage of” by making use of municipal water supplies instead of bottled water.
The joint statement followed numerous reports of runs on bottled water at retail outlets across the country, as consumers prepared for extended periods of lockdown, quarantine, and social distancing.
In this new Research Note, Bluefield water experts analyze:
- The impact of coronavirus-inspired runs on the U.S. bottled water market
- U.S. consumer perception and bottled water growth driven by industry marketing
- How utilities and state and local governments leverage policy and technology to reclaim market share
