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An intensive bilingual public outreach campaign aimed at providing consumers with information about the quality of drinking water in Southern California was launched yesterday by the Metropolitan Water District and Central Basin Municipal Water District.

The two-month pilot campaign -- composed of signage in 40 outdoor transit shelters, 500 posters for community distribution, a 30-page question-and-answer booklet and a community health fair -- is designed to help Latino consumers in unincorporated East Los Angeles become more aware about information sources on the health and quality of their drinking water.

"Our objective is not to persuade people to only drink tap water," said Phillip J. Pace, chairman of Metropolitan's board, "but to give consumers the facts so they can make informed decisions.

"Southern California is fortunate to have some of the highest quality tap water in the nation, and we think that's a story worth telling," said Pace during a news conference at the Door of Hope Ministries community center.

As part of the campaign, which runs through June, the districts enlisted the cooperation of several local community groups, including Door of Hope, Madres del Este de Los Angeles de Santa Isabel and the East L.A. Youth and Family Center, to help bring the message to Latino consumers.

"This campaign and health fair are grand community efforts to bring much-needed services and information to our neighbors," said Charles Trevino, Central Basin director, who represents the East Los Angeles community targeted by the campaign. Central Basin is one of Metropolitan's 26 member public agencies.

"We are proud to join forces with the local elected officials and community-based organizations that serve the East Los Angeles community. As a community, we can work together to make a difference in the quality of life for our families," Trevino said.

Consumer research commissioned by Metropolitan in 1998 showed that people who move to the United States from other countries bring with them the perceptions of their country of origin. Because the quality of tap water in Latin American countries is questionable, many Latinos have misperceptions about the quality of tap water in Southern California.

"In the face of these challenges, we felt compelled to provide consumers with all sides of the story," said Pace, who also represents Central Basin on Metropolitan's board. "The truth is that our utilities consistently deliver water that meets or exceeds all the state and federal health standards. And we do this every day, 365 days a year, for less than a penny a gallon."

In addition, Pace said the Latino community in Southern California has been targeted by unscrupulous water vendors who have used scare tactics and erroneous reports of "contaminated" tap water to induce consumers into buying unnecessary water filters costing thousands of dollars.

"We hope this public outreach effort will appease some of the community's fears," Pace said. "Once these consumers are armed with the facts, it will help protect them from these scams."

Each transit shelter and colorful campaign poster features a toll-free telephone number for consumers to call and receive a free gift along with the English or Spanish brochure, "What You've Always Wanted to Know about Your Tap Water." The brochure, which features easy-to-understand information, answers 21 of the most frequently asked questions consumers have about the safety of tap water.

As part of the campaign, Central Basin is hosting a community health fair on May 19 at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, where program materials will be distributed as part of an overall health education effort. Metropolitan and Central Basin are sharing the costs of the $110,000 campaign.

Metropolitan intends to fold the pilot campaign's most successful elements into future programs addressing the diversity of ethnic communities throughout the Southland. Research components that will measure consumers' response to the information and messages are woven into the campaign.

"When you have a compelling story to tell, you want to tell it," Pace said. "Letting consumers know they really do have positive choices when it comes to water is the best story of all."

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving 17 million people in six counties. The District imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other water-management programs.

One of Metropolitan's 26 member public agencies, Central Basin Municipal Water District is a public agency that wholesales imported water purchased from MWD to cities, mutual water companies, private water companies and investor-owned utilities in southeast Los Angeles County. Central Basin also supplies water used for groundwater replenishment and provides the region with recycled water for municipal, commercial and industrial use. There are 24 cities in Central Basin's service area.

Source: Metropolitan Water District

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