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Using Social Media to Help
Manage Water Quality Issues
A Water Quality Surveillance and Response System
Application
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June 2022
EPA-817-B-22-005
U.S. EPA, Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water
Water Security Division
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Disclaimer
The Water Security Division of the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water has reviewed and approved this guidance document for
publication. This document is intended for drinking water utilities who use social media.
This guidance is new. It does not modify or replace any previous EPA guidance documents. This guidance document is intended for use by
public water systems to help manage water quality issues via social media. This document does not impose legally binding requirements on
any party. The information in this document is intended solely to recommend or suggest and does not imply any requirements. Neither the
U.S. Government nor any of its employees, contractors or their employees make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal
liability or responsibility for any third party's use of any information, product or process discussed in this document, or represents that its
use by such party would not infringe on privately owned rights. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute
endorsement or recommendation for use.
Questions concerning this document should be addressed to WSD-Outreach@epa.gov or Steve Allgeier at Allgeier.Steve@epa.gov.
Acknowledgments
The document was developed by EPA's Water Security Division, with additional support provided under EPA contract EP-C-15-022.
Nelson Mix, EPA, Water Security Division (retired)
Steve Allgeier, EPA, Water Security Division
Scott Teper, Cadmus Group
Mackenzie Dalton Webber, Cadmus Group
Juliana Urrego, Cadmus Group
Kyrien Edwards, Cadmus Group
Alex Taylor, Cadmus Group
Peer review of this document was provided by the following individuals:
•	Joseph J Szafran III, American Water
•	John Lisle, DC Water
•	Christina Waddington, EPA
•	Cheyenne Mathews, EPA
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Introduction to Social Media Management for Water Utilities
Social media has become a key feature in our daily life. Marty companies and organizations utilize social media as a resource to understand
customer experience, manage emergencies, and increase security. Specifically, water utilities can employ social media as an additional
communication tool to reach customers, address customer complaints, and help manage water quality issues. Through social listening, which is
the process of understanding and analyzing applicable keywords and hashtags, utilities can
use customer complaints to quickly address water quality issues.
SURVEILLANCE
The EPA has developed two guidance documents to assist water utilities in using social
media with Customer Complaint Surveillance (CCS).
•	Users not familiar with establishing or working in social media programs are
encouraged to first review the "Setting up a Social Media Program" document,
which explains how to set up a utility social media program. A basic social media
program can be used to engage with customers, increase brand recognition on
social media, and communicate during a crisis.
•	This document builds on the "Setting up a Social Media Program" document and
explains how to search and manage social media data. This guidance document will
demonstrate how to leverage a basic social media program as a powerful resource
to identify water quality issues.
To review the "Setting up a Social Media Program"
Guidance Document click the document icon.

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RESPONSE
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Surveillance and Response System Components. Source: EPA's Designing
CCS Guidance Document.
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Creating Your
Program
Roles &
Responsibilities
Process Flow
Managing Your Social Media Program
This section reviews how to set up a social media program including roles, responsibilities, and process flows for responding to
complaints on social media.
Assigning Social Media Management Roles & Responsibilities
To expand a social media program to a listening program, additional responsibilities need to be assigned. The roles and responsibilities
included below build upon the responsibilities for a social media program team in the "	" guidance
document. Additional roles and responsibilities are included below:
5P
Team Member
Role
Responsibilities
Name and
Department
Status
Social Media Team
Lead
~	Overall management
~	Approves all emergency content pre-post
~	Creating a policy and guidelines for social media
~	Regularly check accounts to ensure consistent messaging across platforms

~	Full-Time
~	Part-Time
Digital Content
Lead
~	Develop and curate content for emergency communication posts
~	Send content and design to Account Manager for posting

~	Full-Time
~	Part-Time
Social Media
Listening Data
Manager
~	Create and manage social media accounts
~	Clear content with Social Media Team Lead and posts approved content
~	Respond to all incoming posts or
~	Direct the Customer Service Representative (CSR) to respond to complaints
~	If utility hashtags are used, search hashtags at least once a day
~	If using keyword searches, check keywords at least once a week

~	Full-Time
~	Part-Time
Customer Service
Representative
(GSR)
~	Respond to customer's complaints when directed by Account Manager
~	Collect detailed information from customers regarding water quality complaints during
normal business hours
~	Advise customers about water quality incidents related to typical distribution system issues
(e.g., rusty water due to flushing, chlorine odor due to operations)
~	Provide details on specific water quality complaints to the CSR Supervisor

~	Full-Time
~	Part-Time
CSR Supervisor
~ Receive and assist in the investigation of alerts with the utility's Water Quality Surveillance
and Response System Manager

~	Full-Time
~	Part-Time
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Creating Your
Program
Roles &
Responsibilities
Process Flow for Responding to Social Media Complaints
Once staff roles are assigned, use this process flow to understand the origins of water quality complaints detected through social media.
This is a systematic process used to determine whether the complaint(s) could be indicative of a possible water contamination incident. A
link to the Processing Form Template referred to in Step 4 can be found on page 22 of 'A's Designing CCS Guidance Docu , which
utilizes a "Funnel, Filter, and Focus" methodology for detecting water quality issues through customer feedback (EPA, 2017).
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Searching &
Managing
Actively
Searching
Management
Tools
Search
Strings
Keywords


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Searching & Managing Social Media for Water Qual ty Complaints
This section includes information about searching and managing social media for water quality complaints. Searching is
an active process built around keywords or hashtags. Listening is a passive process that relies on automated social media
listening tools to trigger alerts.
Actively Searching Social Media Complaints
The utility can actively locate customer complaints by regularly checking their social media
account and searching for their hashtags. Customers may submit complaints on social
media using one or a combination of these methods:
•	Tag: Directly tagging the utility's handle in a public social media post.
•	Direct Message: Submitting a private direct message to the utility.
•	Hashtag: Using a utility hashtag (e.g., #WaterQualitylssue) in their public post
If the customer chooses to contact the utility by tagging or direct messaging them, the
utility will automatically be informed via the platform's notifications. If the customer uses
a utility-related hashtag but does not tag the utility, the utility will not automatically
receive a notification. Additionally, to receive direct messages, certain privacy settings
may need to be enabled. Refer to the platform-specific privacy settings for more
information.
See the Twitter conversation below between a customer and utility for an example of
tagging and direct messaging.
Q.
Customers
Submit
Complaints
on Social
Media

Wv7
Direct Tag in a
Public Post
Direct
Message
Hashtag
Associated
with Utility
John Smith
@John Smith
@CrtyWaterUtility My water is cloudy. Please DM me for more
details. #WaterQualitylssue
2:41 PM Aug, 20, 2020 Twitter for Android
City Water Utility
@atyWateiUBBy
@JohnSmith Thanks for letting us know. We will DM you for
details.
2:44 PM Aug, 20,2020 Twitter
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Searching &
Managing
Actively
Searching
Management
Tools
Search
Strings
Keywords

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Management Tools to Capture Complaints
Some larger utilities with high engagement use social media management tools to increase efficiency, response times, and searching
capabilities. Depending on your utility's size, engagement, and budget, consider if a management tool is necessary and if so, which tool is
best. Utilities that use these optional tools, typically spend $500 - $5,000 yearly on services (WRF, 2017).
There are many social media management tools that are beneficial to track engagement, analyze messaging, and evaluate brand
recognition. These tools have various capabilities such as:
Analytics to create reports on social media engagement and followers;
Archiving features to record and organize past posts and interactions with customers;
Manage and automate the posting of pre-written social media content at predetermined times;
Data visualization to create visually appealing graphics of social media usage; and
Listening algorithms to monitor posts for keywords.
Some tools perform all or some of these listed functions, while others are specialized. Below is a summary of some of the more commonly
used tools. Note: New tools are routinely introduced.
Social Media
Monitors
Keyword Searching
Analytics
Archiving
Listening Available
Management Tool
Multiple
Social Media
Platforms
Available
Available
Available

Subscription Services
Yes.
Yes. (Number of
Creates usage
Yes. Stores social
Listening queries. Set
(e.g., Hootsuite,

keywords varies. May
reports.
media posts.
up email alerts for
Brandwatch,

search by language,


keyword searches and
Mention, etc.) (Paid)

source, or tag).


queries.
Tweetdeck (Free)
No. Twitter
Yes. (Search by keyword,
Manually save
No method for
Automatically organizes

only.
location, and date).
tweets in sections
called
"collections".
exporting posts to
analyze.
all tweets that mention
your handle in one
collection.
Google Analytics
Tracks
N/A
Tracking reports.
N/A
N/A
(Free)
website
traffic.




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Searching &
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Actively
Searching
Management
Tools
Search
Strings
Keywords
Search Strings and Keywords
Since customers do not always know to direct complaints to the utility, they may post about their drinking water quality on social media
without tagging or notifying the utility. By using keyword searches and management tools, you may locate unreported water quality
complaints, therefore, increasing your opportunity to detect issues sooner.
Many social media management tools allow users to search for posts using Boolean keyword search strings such as 'OR', 'AND', and 'AND
NOT'. These strings are used in keyword searches where Boolean operators are utilized to allow users to design advanced queries. These
searches are particularly helpful when searching for a keyword that is used in many different contexts, such as "water." By searching for
posts that contain 'water' 'AND NOT' 'swimming', utilities can filter out search results that are not useful. By combining searches for
drinking water with keywords for specific water quality issues, utilities may be able to identify likely causes of water issues without the
customer ever reporting them.
Geographical location data (i.e., geotagging) are used on most social media platforms and allows users to denote the location of the
content of a given post. Utilities can use geotagging to locate water quality complaints more accurately. Additionally, posts that are not
geotagged may still include exportable geographic location data based on the reported location of a user's profile.
The table on the next page summarizes useful keywords for each of the four complaint
category tiers of EPA's Designing CCS Guic v v e Document (EPA, 2017). See Figure 2.
Some sample search strings are:
•	([Utility name] OR [Utility abbreviation] OR ([City name] AND Water)) AND
((Problem OR Issue) OR (Bad OR Nasty OR Gross))
•	(Tap OR Water) AND ("Tastes like" OR "Smells like")
•	(Tap AND Water) AND (Dirty OR Discolored OR Color OR Brown OR Yellow)
•	((Drink AND Water) AND (Sick OR III)) AND (Lake OR River OR Stream OR Well
OR Intake OR Reservoir OR Spill OR Accident)
•	((Drink AND Water) AND (Sick OR III)) AND NOT (Pool OR Drain OR Sewer)
•	([Utility name] OR [Utility abbreviation] OR ([City name] AND Water)) AND
((Problem OR Issue) OR (Bill OR Pressure OR Leak OR Pipe OR Break))
TIER 1
ILLNESS
TIER 2
TASTE OR ODOR
TIER 3
DIRTY OR DISCOLORED
TIER 4
UNUSUAL APPEARANCE, PARTICLES, OILY/GREASY
Example Customer Complaint Tier Chart. Source: EPA's
Designing CCS Guidance Document.
Utilities can create their own search strings using these samples and relevant keywords
from the table on the next page. Utilities can then search these using the social media
platform's advanced search function or they can use a management tool to search for unreported water quality issues.
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Searching &
Managing
Actively
Searching
Management
Tools
Search
Strings
Keywords

Keyword Search Table
This table shows a list of keywords which can be used for social media management and customer complaint surveillance. The keywords in
the tier list were chosen based on EPA guidance and research, and a customer complaint surveillance literature review (Pacific Northwest
Section AWWA Water Quality Management Committee, 1998; EPA, 2017; Whelton et al., 2017).
Words to Search For -
e.g. using 'OR', 'AND'




General Terms
Drinking water
[Abbreviation of
Cannot/can't drink
Pipe
Do not/don't drink
Bad
Drink/drinking
utility name]
[City] + water
Tap
Gross
Nasty
Water
[Name of utility]
Problem
Issue
Undrinkable
Wrong
Tier 1 - Illness
Sick
Vomit/vomiting
Upset stomach
Sickening
Made (as in "made me
Diarrhea
III
Throw up
Puke

sick")
Nauseous/nausea
Tier 2-Taste or Odor
Tastes/smells like
Earthy
Acidic
Salty
Chalky
Fishy
Tastes/smells similar
Moldy
Vinegar
Swampy
Tingling
Sour
Tastes/smells bad
Rotten
Sickening
Petroleum
Rubbery
Bitter
Rancid
Grassy
Stale
Plastic
Blood
Chemical
Musty
Soil
Oily
Rusty
Sulfur
Solvent
Fruity
Metallic
Sweet
Moth balls
Herbal
Floral
Orange
Ether
Rotten eggs
Chlorine
Gasoline
Septic
Tier 3 - Dirty or Discolored
Dirty
Not clear/unclear
Muddy
Dark
Yellow, yellowish
Grey/gray,
Discolored
Colored
Red, reddish
Black
Brown, brownish
Greyish/grayish
Tier 4 - Unusual Appearance, Particles, Oily/Greasy
Particles
Specks
Oil/oily
Opaque
Bubbles/bubbly
Looks/Appears...
Particulate matter
Cloudy
Grease/greasy
Rust/rusty
Fizzes/fizzy
- weird/odd
Dirt/dirty
Floaters/floating
Milky
Silt
Bacteria
-	different/wrong
-	unusual/not right
Words to Exclude - e.g. using 'AND NOT'
Lake
Pool
Pond
Swimming
River
Sick (slang usage)
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Managing
Data
Recording
Alerts &
Thresholds
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Social Media Data Management and Analysis
This section discusses strategies for managing social media data including recording complaints and creating alerts and
thresholds.
Recording Social Media Complaints
It is useful for utilities to record social media complaints in a consistent manner to reduce confusion and duplication of work as well as
increase the ability to recognize water quality issues. Here are some considerations when recording social media complaints:
•	Determine frequency: Depending on the volume of the utility's incoming posts, a utility may need to document complaints at
varying rates (e.g., when there is a higher volume of incoming social media posts, documentation should occur more frequently).
•	Pick a process or tool: To record complaints, filling out the CCS Water Quality Complaint Processing Form in Section 3.2.4 of
Designing CCS Do	or the utility's equivalent customer complaint tracking process is recommended (EPA, 2017). Additionally,
there are many customer complaint systems that can help manage customer complaints as well as provide tools for customers to
easily submit complaints. Many products have paid and free versions depending on your utilities budget.
•	Record information consistently: Be sure to record the customer's social media account information (e.g., name, handle, and email
address if the information is public on the user's profile) and indicate the social media platform used. This is useful in case follow-up
communication is needed and to track the most utilized social media sites
to inform management.
•	Define the complaint type and location: Complaints received by social
media will need to be categorized so the correct utility personnel respond
to the post, e.g., billing related, water quality, etc. All social media data is
automatically date and time stamped; however, geolocation capability is
dependent on the user's settings. If the customer's social media data does
not contain spatial information because the customer does not enable the
geolocation capabilities, then maps, spatial statistical models, and
customer relation management systems with application programming
interfaces cannot be used.
Interface showing geolocation of customer complaints.
Im.
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Managing
Data
Recording
Alerts &
Thresholds


v
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Creating Alert Thresholds for Social Media Complaints
It is useful to establish a baseline of daily and weekly social media posts so
that when the baseline is exceeded, an alert will notify the utility of a
potential excess in customer complaints, which may indicate a larger water
quality issue. The threshold for social media complaints can be reevaluated
on a periodic basis as the number of followers and methods of outreach
change.
Some social media management tools will establish thresholds and alerts
based on historic social media usage and trends. Additionally, review
Section 4.2 of Designing CCS Dc	to learn more about alert
generation and establishing thresholds for water quality complaints (EPA,
2017). It contains useful tools such as,
(AET) and EPA's Threshold Analysis Tool (TAT) (EPA, 2017).
Thresholds may be dependent on each utility's staffing capabilities, number
of connections, followers, total customers, and percentage of customers
that use social media. Furthermore, social media complaints are often
treated as Tier 1 complaints - therefore having a threshold of 1 - because
of brand and image concerns.
CK
O
Advisory Alerts
DC Water was able to respond quickly to a water pressure
issue with the help of customer's notification on Twitter.
In 2018, the water utility DC Water, had low water
pressure that started at 8:30 pm on July 12, 2018 (DC
Water, 2018). Customers quickly took to Twitter to notify
DC Water of the issue; there were 55 tweets directed at DC
Water before a Boil Water Advisory was publicly released,
10 of which were posted in the first 30 mins. DC Water
followed up on reports of low pressure at 9:04 pm and
identified and fixed the issue by 9:40 pm.
Setting an alert allows the utility to react quickly to
customer complaints and address water quality issues. For
example, during July 2018, the average number of tweets
posted to DC Water's social media accounts were
approximately 18 per day, which could be used as a
baseline to ensure DC Water is notified when customers
reach out via social media in unusually high quantities. This
serves as an example of how setting an alert threshold for
social media can streamline investigation of customer
complaints.
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Resources
Resources
A WW A, Pacific Northwest Section, Water Quality Management Committee.
(1998). Summary of Customer Complaint Causes/Responses.
DC Water. (2018). Boil Water Advisory Report. :ps://dcwater.com/whats-going-
on/news/dc-water-releases-comprehensive-report-pressure-drop-and-boil-water-advisorv
EPA. (2017). Designing Customer Complaint Surveillance.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-
02/documents/customer complaint surveillance design guidance.pdf
Water Research Foundation (WRF). (2017). Social Media for Water Utilities. Project #4638.
Whelton, A., Dietrich, A., Gallagher, D., Roberson, J., (2017). Using Customer Feedback for Improved
Water Quality and Infrastructure Monitoring.
5P
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