Grundfos Raising Public Awareness of Water Sector Challenges

AURORA, Illinois (Feb. 23, 2017)—Grundfos announced the launch of its “Who Runs the Water that Runs America” initiative, created to help water and wastewater utilities raise public awareness of the many challenges in the water sector, according to a statement from the company. Grundfos said the initiative seeks to celebrate the professionals behind the scenes who keep the water flowing in America. “Our goal is to bring the heroes of the water and wastewater utilities to the forefront and help them with their public communication,” said Robert Montenegro, vice president of sales – Water Utility/Municipal at Grundfos. By providing water utility companies with easy-to-use tools to communicate with the public, Grundfos hopes to help achieve that goal. "I think that most Americans, when asked, ‘Where does water come from?’ would say, ‘The kitchen faucet.’ Very few people actually pay much notice to how the water gets there,” Grundfos Group President/CEO Mads Nipper said. “They aren’t thinking about the process, mounting costs, or the water delivery network that makes this resource possible. Moreover, it’s the local municipal water workers—whose work we take for granted—who are the true hidden heroes in this water cycle.” According to American Water Works Association’s 2016 State of the Industry Report, communicating with the public is one of the top three concerns of water utility professionals. Grundfos wants to help water and wastewater utilities in this outreach effort by offering digital resources that will allow individual utilities to create messaging appropriate for their local audiences, using the following key elements:

• Customizable "Who Runs the Water That Runs America" Video: Water utilities can tailor this video to their individual service areas by adding specific utility information and photos. This short video celebrates the value of water and water utility workers.
• Website: The site whorunsthewater.com offers consumers a chance to learn about the water life cycle and water usage. The site also offers an interactive water footprint calculator, a map of water prices across the country and water-saving tips.
• Social Media & Website Content: Posters and content for sharing on social media sites, or inclusion in water utility websites and newsletters can be downloaded to help target local utility customers.

As a leader in the field for more than 70 years, Grundfos said it understands this initiative serves a greater purpose. “Grundfos is a water solution provider and, of course, we produce pumps, but we do a whole lot more as well,” Nipper said. “We feel that we have a great stake in the obligation of sharing the story about the importance of the water sector—and the importance of the work that the water utilities do.” For more information, visit www.whorunsthewater.com or us.grundfos.com/whorunsthewater.html.