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Restaurants, bars say water taste is hurting sales and raises costs
Summary
Local service-industry owners told the council water taste-and-odor problems are increasing costs (bottled water, ice) and shortening customer stays; they asked for mitigation steps and clearer public messaging as businesses lose revenue during peak season.
Business owners at the Aug. 10 special meeting described immediate revenue impacts from the city’s taste-and-odor problem. Heather Peterson, speaking for local bars and restaurants, said poor ice and soda quality forces establishments to buy bottled water and bottled mixers and sometimes remove drinks from customers’ bills: "they've had to put [sodas] out there, and people say that I'm not gonna drink it, and they have to take that off the bill," she said.
Council members acknowledged the economic harm and asked staff to consider relief options and to route a billing-communication plan through the water committee. Staff suggested the water committee could research municipal policies used elsewhere (bottled-water distribution during boil orders or targeted customer assistance) and return recommendations; city staff also signaled they will post clearer plain-English updates on test results.
