Don’t let Complex Language keep you from Drinking Tap Water

With the rise in bottled water and sugary beverage alternatives, regular tap water is struggling to make its way into the daily U.S. diet.

Part of the problem may be the technical language used to communicate important water quality information to the public, according to an interdisciplinary team of Virginia Tech researchers recently writing in theJournal of Water and Health.

The language in reports issued by drinking water utilities and service providers reads like scientific or academic writing, explained Siddhartha Roy of Palanpur, India, a doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and a member of the Virginia Tech Water INTERface Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program.

“The concern is that many people may not be able to comprehend what these reports really show, and therefore may avoid drinking tap water as a result,” Roy said.

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