Love it or hate it, Twitter has become a valuable tool in the communication toolbox for many organisations, including in the water industry.
From water utilities increasing the social acceptance of water reuse, to academics sharing thoughts on latest research, the social media platform has become a bridge between the business-led discussions and on LinkedIn and informal posts on Facebook.
With over 320 million active monthly users, it raises the question of who is worth following on Twitter? In no order of popularity, follower number or tweet frequency, we have chosen a heady mix of individuals and organisations for their entertaining, informative and even provocative tweets on water.
From global researchers and academics, right through to NYSE-listed company CEOs and a trash swallowing water wheel, here’s 12 Twitter accounts we think you should check out.
Who else would you add to the list?
Peter Gleick
Handle: @PeterGleick
Followers: 58K
Who is it: Founder of the Pacific Institute, Dr Gleick is a world-renowned expert, innovator and communicator on water and climate change issues.
Why follow: An interesting balance of entertaining anti-Trump rhetoric blended with hard-hitting global climate change and water research, broken down easily for a wider audience.
To my Twitter followers who wish I could refocus on #water & #climate issues and less on politics: I wish I could, but I can't. Our society and sense of who we are face unprecedented threats and I add my voice to those fighting back.
— Peter Gleick (@PeterGleick) March 18, 2018
I hope to resume normal programming shortly.
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
Handle: @neorsd
Followers:6603
Who is it: The customer service team for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District Customer Service team in the US.
Why follow: An entertaining ode to the industry unsung heroes - sewer service crews - and their maintenance work, including videos from their night crews and hashtag #LetsAskDan. An interesting ‘behind the scenes’ of wastewater treatment.
good night treatmnt plant
— NE OH Regional Sewer (@neorsd) February 27, 2019
good night sewers
good night team watching over the sewers
good night on-call maintenance crews
good night settling tank
good night streambank
good night filtration
good night pump station
good night steam rising into the air
good night sewers everywhere pic.twitter.com/10nUmO4dlP
World Bank
Handle: @WorldBankWater
Followers: 71.4K
Who is it: Twitter feed of the World Bank’s Water team, working with partners toward “A Water-Secure World for All”
Why follow: Using engaging imagery and tweets, the World Bank Water team help bring attention to the wider Sustainable Development Goals and sanitation crisis facing over 2.5 billion people.
#Water is life.#Sanitation is dignity.
— World Bank Water (@WorldBankWater) February 23, 2019
A huge thank you for all the discussions, dialogues, engagement, exchange and much more at #FSM5 / #AfricaSan5.
Stay tuned as we continue to shift the sanitation paradigm for safely managed services for all! 🌐https://t.co/ekOQfKaOxN pic.twitter.com/HfgAt5xDzJ
Mr Trash Wheel
Handle: @MrTrashWheel
Followers: 18.2k
Who is it: The official voice of the Water Wheel cleaning Baltimore’s Inner Harbor who claims to like tires but not broccoli. Part of the Healthy Harbor Initiative.
Why follow: Engaging tweets personifying a trash hungry technology setting out to improve the environment and raise issues to the wider public. Mr Trash Wheel even receives fan art and people even dress up as him. Bravo.
This might be the best selfie any fan has ever taken. pic.twitter.com/1YpaqnaI4s
— Mr. Trash Wheel (@MrTrashWheel) February 22, 2019
Anglian Water
Handle: @anglianwaterFollowers: 26.6K
Who is it: Water utility supplying over four million customers with drinking water and collecting wastewater from six million across the East of England.
Why follow: Anglian proves that utilities can and should be using social media for more than just updates on maintenance activities or as a platform for customers to complain. Mixing fatberg facts with comedy and personal stories, the account deserves its growing international following.
97% of the world's water is too salty to drink, 2% is locked up in glaciers and just 1% is available for treatment and supply. Let's love every drop. What are you doing to save water in your home or workplace? pic.twitter.com/2qRi1ZVzOc
— Anglian Water (@AnglianWater) February 27, 2019
Brett Walton
Handle: @waltonwater
Followers: 3190
Who is it: A reporter for Circle of blue reporting on freshwater and all its connections. In Brett’s words: six parts liquid, four parts steel, and a dash of bitters.
Why follow: The credible and widely cited investigative reporter asks the questions most don’t and often delves into issues many US water utilities try to keep behind closed doors.
California lawmakers revived a debate that was unresolved last year: where the money will come from for a fund to help poor communities operate and maintain their water systems https://t.co/9Gq6W9xzpt
— Brett Walton (@waltonwater) February 7, 2019
Mina Guli
Handle: @minaguli
Followers: 38.4K
Who is it: Former climate-friendly investment company founder turned running extraordinaire.
Why follow: In an inspirational tale, Mina Guli was told by doctors she wouldn’t be able to run again. Proving them wrong, the water advocate set out to run 100 marathons in 100 days to raise awareness and money for water using the hashtag #runningdry.
Over the past 100 days, the #RunningDry community has stepped up for water. We’ve connected people across the globe, and run together in deserts and snow, cities and forest, day and night, for one reason: water. This isn't the end. It's only the beginning. #EveryDropCounts pic.twitter.com/dJsmtXZbks
— Mina Guli (@minaguli) February 11, 2019
Dragan Savic
Handle: @H20DraganSavic
Followers: 2502
Who is it: Currently the CEO of @KWR_Water in the Netherlands and on the content board for Aquatech Innovation Forum.
Why follow: The hydroinformatics expert is an authority on water digitalisation and helps to bridge the communication chasm between the business and science communities.
Medicines including antibiotics and epilepsy drugs are increasingly being found in the world’s rivers at concentrations that can damage ecosystems. Microplastics are the new known threat, but how many unknown unknowns are out there…https://t.co/ZBNMmw35QY https://t.co/XUCSCRuTXN
— Dragan Savic (@H2ODraganSavic) February 24, 2019
Water Corporation
Handle: @watercorpwa
Followers: 9454
Who is it: Twitter account for Australian water utility Water Corporation providing water and wastewater services for the whole of Western Australia.
Why follow: As well as using the platform to progress social acceptance of water reuse (see tweet below), the utility effectively uses #OurWater to post consumers’ stunning images of Western Australia.
Drinking recycled water used to raise eyebrows 🤔 Now, it has strong support in #Perth. Our spokesperson Clare Lugar spoke to @RadioNational about the work we've done to gain acceptance for water #recycling 💦
— Water Corporation (@watercorpwa) February 26, 2019
Listen to the full story here >> https://t.co/Uv7ECGO2qY pic.twitter.com/2XljOGIICG
Travis Loop
Handle: @travisloop
Followers: 1212
Who is it: Communications director for the Water Environment Federation (WEF)
Why follow: The brains behind the increasingly popular ‘Words on Water’ podcast series, Travis manages to strike the rare balance between personal and professional tweets on water, without coming across too light-hearted for the former or stuffy in the latter.
Such a cool cross-section of the #GreatLakes. I had no idea #LakeErie was so shallow compared to the others. I grew up going to the Thousand Islands in the St Lawrence River. #LakeSuperior #LakeHuron #LakeOntario pic.twitter.com/sx1sepCOqP
— Travis Loop (@travisloop) March 2, 2019
Patrick Decker
Handle: @PatrickKDecker
Followers: 1790
Who is it: Chief executive officer (CEO) of water treatment company, Xylem
Why follow: Despite running a global company, in-between board meetings Patrick finds the time to tweet on his music tastes, political views and humanitarian trips.
En route back from a special week in #Botswana and ‘disconnecting in order to reconnect’, this brought tears to my eyes. Life is so precious, tender and fragile no matter where you are in the world. Thanks for sharing this. 🙏🙏 https://t.co/pSU9chvy61
— Patrick Decker (@PatrickKDecker) November 25, 2018
Natasha Wiseman
Handle: @wiseonwater
Followers: 3795
Who is it: PR and media consultant specialising in water and wastewater – tweeting on all things wet – and in times of drought – dry.
Why follow: A former B2B editor specialising in water, Natasha has the ability to select, tweet and retweet the relevant water news on Twitter so you can find it one place.
WASH initiative urgently needed at Fox News - 'Germs are not a real thing': Fox News host says he hasn't washed hands in 10 years https://t.co/564zAu9Z0d
— Natasha Wiseman (@wiseonwater) February 11, 2019
