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David Earp, GALENE Water Treatment | Utilities Tech Outlook | Top Integrated Water and Wastewater Technologies Solutions

The Water Treatment Customer is Changing. Is the Industry Ready?

David Earp, General Manager , GALENE Water Treatment

Consumer Trust Champion

Editor’s Note: Better-informed homeowners are raising expectations for how water treatment professionals explain contaminants, technologies and long-term system value. David Earp’s perspective highlights why industry professionals must pair evolving treatment capabilities with credible education and local expertise to earn consumer trust as water-quality concerns become more sophisticated.

For decades, residential water treatment focused on problems homeowners could see, smell or taste—hardness, chlorine, iron, sediment and odors. Today, however, new concerns are changing both technology and business opportunities.

PFAS “forever chemicals” have quickly gone from obscure to a mainstream drinking-water concern due to their persistence in the environment.

Meanwhile, consumers have unprecedented access to information. AI helps homeowners research contaminants, interpret lab reports and compare treatment technologies in minutes.

This has led to a fundamental shift: consumers know more, testing detects more and systems must accomplish more.

A Problem More Widespread than Many Realized

PFAS attention isn’t just media-driven. Improved testing and research reveal how widespread these compounds are.

PFAS are challenging since even tiny amounts can be risky. In 2024, the EPA set limits at just four parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS.

Water may look, smell and taste fine; yet still contain contaminants at minuscule levels.

The focus is now on understanding what’s in the water and how to address it.

Enter the AI-Educated Consumer

Another major transformation is unfolding at the same time. Today’s homeowners are increasingly researching water quality before contacting a professional, using online resources and AI to understand contaminants and treatment options. As a result, tomorrow’s customers may arrive with specific questions about PFAS, treatment media and system choices. For water professionals, this shift presents both challenges and opportunities. Success will increasingly depend on the ability to serve as educators and consultants, not simply salespeople.

  • The customer is changing. Consumers know more, testing detects more and systems must accomplish more.



Treatment Technology is Changing Too

Treatment technologies are evolving alongside consumer expectations, with manufacturers increasingly combining multiple processes to address a broader range of water-quality concerns. Galene’s G-Guard PFAS Series, for example, brings together several technologies to address PFAS and other water-quality issues. This reflects a broader shift in residential treatment toward more comprehensive solutions designed for increasingly sophisticated water-quality concerns and better-informed consumers.

A Growing Business Opportunity

This landscape also creates opportunities for new dealers, wholesalers and home-service professionals. Plumbers, contractors and entrepreneurs already have relationships with homeowners, which gives them an advantage in this market. Offering water treatment services generates new revenue while meeting a growing consumer need.

Manufacturers offer dealer programs, including training and marketing support, to help businesses enter the field. Today’s dealers can become trusted local water-quality resources, explaining technologies, recommending solutions and providing ongoing service. As consumers learn more, professional expertise becomes even more valuable. AI may help homeowners ask better questions, but it can’t install systems or replace a knowledgeable professional.

As homeowners become more informed, dealers and other water professionals should be prepared to answer the questions that increasingly shape purchasing decisions. Here are five questions consumers are now asking:

1. Does this system reduce PFAS?

2. How do you know what’s in my water?

3. What technology does it use?

4. Is this whole-house or drinking-water treatment?

5. What are the long-term costs?

Is the Industry Ready?

Residential water treatment is entering a new era, with PFAS awareness, better testing, AI-powered research and new technologies raising consumer expectations. For manufacturers and dealers, that change represents a challenge, but perhaps an even greater opportunity. Future success will depend on combining science, technology, education and local service into solutions homeowners can trust. The customer is changing, and the industry must be ready to change with them.

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The articles from these contributors are based on their personal expertise and viewpoints, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their employers or affiliated organizations.