Answer extracted from The Future of Utilities Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
Why do water companies use complex technical language that prevents public understanding of water issues?
Water companies rely on acronyms and technical jargon—CSOs, amps, pre-pipe solutions, catchment, holistic, integrated—that create an impenetrable barrier between water professionals and the public. This barrier doesn't just confuse consumers; it prevents media from covering the issues meaningfully and erodes the already fragile relationship between utilities and the communities they serve.
When infrastructure professionals speak only to themselves, the real problem gets buried under layers of terminology. As Matt Wilden of Wessex Water explains, the water sector has developed a habit of obscuring rather than clarifying the core challenges facing the industry.
The Communication Trap: Why Jargon Defeats Coverage
Journalists and media outlets face a straightforward calculus: if a story requires decoding acronyms and technical specifications just to understand the basic problem, it's not worth covering. Media avoids the subject entirely because it reads as inaccessible corporate detail, not as a public issue worth their audience's attention.
This creates a vicious cycle. Water companies point to their major infrastructure projects—the Thames Tideway Tunnel, new reservoirs—expecting public credit. But the real problem that affects every household remains invisible, wrapped in language that locks out the very people most affected by poor rainwater management and sewage overflows. When the industry speaks only in CSOs and operational costs, consumers see not a shared challenge but a technical problem that's "someone else's responsibility."
As discussed in this episode, the distrust between water companies and the public amplifies the damage. Consumers already suspect water utilities of greenwashing and poor management; opaque language only confirms that suspicion rather than building confidence in solutions.
A Simple Narrative Can Shift Everything
The path forward requires abandoning jargon in favor of a unified, simple story. Instead of discussing pre-pipe solutions or integrated catchment management, water professionals must reframe the conversation around how homes are built and how rain should be managed where it falls—language a homeowner understands immediately.
Wilden has made this shift a core focus of his work at Wessex Water, advocating for plain-language communication that puts the actual problem—not the technical fix—at the centre. This approach does more than improve press coverage; it fundamentally changes who feels responsible and who sees themselves as part of the solution. When a homeowner understands that rain landing on their roof is a resource they're currently wasting, not an abstract problem measured in cubic metres and overflow percentages, engagement becomes possible.
"We talk gibberish and then we talk in complicated language. No wonder we're not making progress."
Matt Wilden — Infrastructure Development Director at Wessex Water, focused on educating and influencing policy, regulation, economic incentives, and technical guidance on rainwater management. His work includes advising government on regulatory frameworks and championing clearer communication between water utilities and the public.
See also
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