Back in 2017, I was in the middle of the GenX crisis that occurred in Cape Fear region of North Carolina. The discovery of it and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) generated scandalous headlines – “Toxin Taints Drinking Water” – and fear that the public was being poisoned by what was coming out of their taps.
At one of the public meetings held during the panic, a woman held up a sign, and a picture of it splashed across front pages nationwide.
It simply said, “Wilmington, NC = Flint, MI.”
During the crisis, I handled numerous TV and radio interviews, crafted messaging for local politicians and utility leaders, and even brokered a kumbaya meeting with them and Erin Brockovich. Throughout all of it, I had one underlying goal: to keep Wilmington from becoming synonymous with Flint, tagged with a stigma that could hang over the city for decades.
What I explained to the public then is the same thing I state to them now: PFAS and lead are completely different substances, and that PFAS findings are not comparable to lead discoveries. I’m in the middle of a PFAS blood and urine study right now, and I can tell people firsthand that the existence of PFAS in my body does not create the same level of concern as if lead was found.
Because of my unique experience, I’ve been asked by water leaders to speak to their organizations about PFAS public communications. During my firm’s infancy, I felt I was on the campaign trail, begging for water providers to get out front and communicate about PFAS first. My main message – developed from my years producing TV news – is the same today as it was then: “If they hear from you first, they’ll trust you first. If they hear from you last, they’ll trust you last.”
Game of Thrones was THE TV show at the time, so I also used one of its most famous lines to make my point about getting ahead of the issue. I simply said, “Winter is coming.”
I initially received a lot of pushback, and it was understandable. Having been in water COMMS since 2007, I know the water industry doesn’t like talking about “emerging contaminants” without regulations, especially when there wasn’t clear, agreed-upon guidance detailing what we should do about them.
But those days are over. Winter is here.
The EPA’s drinking water standards now cover every utility in the nation, and they’re set at extremely challenging levels for any provider with even the slightest detect. I hate to say it, but the EPA has put us in the position to fail.
When I speak now, I cite a dozen significant challenges facing utilities under the new standards, with the clock already ticking toward 2029. However, some solace can be taken when it comes to public communication. While it would’ve been better to get out front before winter arrived, failing to do so is a mistake that can be quickly fixed. A lack of communication back then only becomes a fateful error now if a water provider continues to avoid the subject.
With the why about communicating PFAS settled, the what and how can come into focus, and it doesn’t take months of analysis to develop a rock-solid communications plan. Water providers can even incorporate lessons learned from past water quality challenges.
The first thing to do is to assess the situation, looking at test results to determine which fork in the road needs to be taken: whether the provider must start explaining why PFAS is in their water and what they’re going to do about it, or why the utility can state that the water does not contain PFAS and won’t require additional treatment.
The situational assessment helps determine the next stage, what the communication objectives will be. Does a provider have to start providing perspective as soon as possible to set expectations about the years of work that lie ahead? Or, does a utility just need to address the issue enough, so the public understands it doesn’t have a problem?
With the objectives determined, a provider can focus on the nuts and bolts of the communication plan. What to say. Who to say it to. How to say it. When and where to say it.
I know I’m rattling that list off quickly; each area I just listed requires its own thousand-word article. That said, if a provider takes the time to get the right people together and enable them to speak freely about the who, what, where, when and why, the utility will be well on its way to crafting a successful PFAS public communications plan.
The final step is the one that often trips up providers, deciding when it’s time to go public. Instead of going forth and eventually conquering, they pull back for the edge and decide to continue to try and fly under the radar.
That approach won’t work because of how the EPA has forced our hands. Once a provider’s COMMS plan is ready, it needs to be put in motion.
Again, winter is here, and if a provider is found to have failed to communicate about PFAS, it will be accused of staying quiet on a matter concerning the health of their community.
Public trust will be lost, and for a long time. A sign comparing the city to Flint, Michigan could be waved in front of community leaders for all the whole world to see.
That’s a mistake water providers cannot afford to make.
Mike McGill is president and principal of WaterPIO, LeadCopperRule.com and PFASComms.com, helping water and wastewater utilities of all sizes improve their customer, media and crisis communications. McGill previously worked as a news producer in CNN’s Washington Bureau and was also News Planning Editor for the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C.
Explaining the Decline in WIFIA Loan Volume: Part 2
December 8, 2025
Can AI Reverse Systemic Water Utility Challenges? It’s Complicated.
November 25, 2025
Commentary: Ductile Iron Provides Owners with Safety, Longevity
June 10, 2025
By Mike McGill
Back in 2017, I was in the middle of the GenX crisis that occurred in Cape Fear region of North Carolina. The discovery of it and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) generated scandalous headlines – “Toxin Taints Drinking Water” – and fear that the public was being poisoned by what was coming out of their taps.
At one of the public meetings held during the panic, a woman held up a sign, and a picture of it splashed across front pages nationwide.
It simply said, “Wilmington, NC = Flint, MI.”
During the crisis, I handled numerous TV and radio interviews, crafted messaging for local politicians and utility leaders, and even brokered a kumbaya meeting with them and Erin Brockovich. Throughout all of it, I had one underlying goal: to keep Wilmington from becoming synonymous with Flint, tagged with a stigma that could hang over the city for decades.
What I explained to the public then is the same thing I state to them now: PFAS and lead are completely different substances, and that PFAS findings are not comparable to lead discoveries. I’m in the middle of a PFAS blood and urine study right now, and I can tell people firsthand that the existence of PFAS in my body does not create the same level of concern as if lead was found.
Because of my unique experience, I’ve been asked by water leaders to speak to their organizations about PFAS public communications. During my firm’s infancy, I felt I was on the campaign trail, begging for water providers to get out front and communicate about PFAS first. My main message – developed from my years producing TV news – is the same today as it was then: “If they hear from you first, they’ll trust you first. If they hear from you last, they’ll trust you last.”
Game of Thrones was THE TV show at the time, so I also used one of its most famous lines to make my point about getting ahead of the issue. I simply said, “Winter is coming.”
I initially received a lot of pushback, and it was understandable. Having been in water COMMS since 2007, I know the water industry doesn’t like talking about “emerging contaminants” without regulations, especially when there wasn’t clear, agreed-upon guidance detailing what we should do about them.
But those days are over. Winter is here.
The EPA’s drinking water standards now cover every utility in the nation, and they’re set at extremely challenging levels for any provider with even the slightest detect. I hate to say it, but the EPA has put us in the position to fail.
When I speak now, I cite a dozen significant challenges facing utilities under the new standards, with the clock already ticking toward 2029. However, some solace can be taken when it comes to public communication. While it would’ve been better to get out front before winter arrived, failing to do so is a mistake that can be quickly fixed. A lack of communication back then only becomes a fateful error now if a water provider continues to avoid the subject.
With the why about communicating PFAS settled, the what and how can come into focus, and it doesn’t take months of analysis to develop a rock-solid communications plan. Water providers can even incorporate lessons learned from past water quality challenges.
The first thing to do is to assess the situation, looking at test results to determine which fork in the road needs to be taken: whether the provider must start explaining why PFAS is in their water and what they’re going to do about it, or why the utility can state that the water does not contain PFAS and won’t require additional treatment.
The situational assessment helps determine the next stage, what the communication objectives will be. Does a provider have to start providing perspective as soon as possible to set expectations about the years of work that lie ahead? Or, does a utility just need to address the issue enough, so the public understands it doesn’t have a problem?
With the objectives determined, a provider can focus on the nuts and bolts of the communication plan. What to say. Who to say it to. How to say it. When and where to say it.
I know I’m rattling that list off quickly; each area I just listed requires its own thousand-word article. That said, if a provider takes the time to get the right people together and enable them to speak freely about the who, what, where, when and why, the utility will be well on its way to crafting a successful PFAS public communications plan.
The final step is the one that often trips up providers, deciding when it’s time to go public. Instead of going forth and eventually conquering, they pull back for the edge and decide to continue to try and fly under the radar.
That approach won’t work because of how the EPA has forced our hands. Once a provider’s COMMS plan is ready, it needs to be put in motion.
Again, winter is here, and if a provider is found to have failed to communicate about PFAS, it will be accused of staying quiet on a matter concerning the health of their community.
Public trust will be lost, and for a long time. A sign comparing the city to Flint, Michigan could be waved in front of community leaders for all the whole world to see.
That’s a mistake water providers cannot afford to make.
Mike McGill is president and principal of WaterPIO, LeadCopperRule.com and PFASComms.com, helping water and wastewater utilities of all sizes improve their customer, media and crisis communications. McGill previously worked as a news producer in CNN’s Washington Bureau and was also News Planning Editor for the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C.
Share this post