Customers in Texas Lose Trust in Water Utilities following February Storm Response A combination of major regional service interruptions, significantly increased water consumption, higher utility bills and a lack of effective communication during the pandemic have resulted in no change year over year in customer satisfaction with residential water utilities, according to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study,SM released today. Overall customer satisfaction remains at 737 (on a 1,000-point scale) as usage has increased about 6% nationwide, and this year marks the first time that satisfaction has not improved since the study began in 2016. “Between the massive weather event in Texas and the overall heightened sense of anxiety among consumers who have been spending more time at home and consuming more water, the past year has put local water utilities to the test,” said Andrew Heath, senior director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power. “Despite recent efforts to improve communications and ramp up digital customer service channels, water utilities still have a long way to go when it comes to delivering valuable, proactive communications to help their customers through challenging situations. For example, the widespread service interruptions in Texas really put a spotlight on just how vulnerable utilities can be to adverse weather events.”