My apologies to Joan Rivers for borrowing her oft-quoted opening, but we do need to talk about an emerging and sensitive issue in the drinking water community—privatization. I had no intention of writing about this topic because it reminds me too much of a porcupine—no matter how carefully you approach it, you're probably going to get stuck. Three events changed my mind. The first occurred as I was sitting at my desk going through my mail and an anonymous letter caught my eye. It was written by an employee of a municipal water utility after an all-staff meeting in which it had been announced that the city council had decided to explore using a private contractor to operate and maintain the water system. The last sentence chilled my blood: "I know AWWA is an avid supporter of privatization, but I think you should also explain the other side and what might happen to employees."
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