Just Throw in a Dash of Em

Tacoma Water recently mailed me an advertisement titled "Drinking water - and people - you can count on." I found this quite hilarious for the (perhaps) obvious reason that, at first glance, Tacoma Water appears to suggest that one drink people in addition to water. Furthermore, the wisdom of drinking the very people one "can count on" should evidently be questioned.

Typographically, there ought to be a way to more accurately convey the intended message ("Tacoma Water provides reliable drinking water by employing reliable people").

When copyediters are in short supply, the o-dash, (actually, according to em- and en- convention it should be spelled oh-), immediately conveys the idea that "I'm splitting up this phrase in an awkward - perhaps even hilarious - way, but you know what I really mean - business." Start using it, Tacoma Water.

From the body of the document:

Brown Water: This is often caused by disturbances to the main, such as main breaks or fire hydrant use, that stir up the sediment that has settled at the bottom of the main. While it may look unsafe, the sediment is harmless river silt particles from our unfiltered water supply. If you experience this problem, avoid using any water for two hours. If the water does not clear, call Tacoma Water. If brown or yellow water occurs frequently, it may be caused by corrosion in you home plumbing.