Water Agencies Can No Longer Be The "Silent Utility"
Water and wastewater agencies face unprecedented fiscal, aging infrastructure, affordability of service, management, operator training, regulatory, treatment, and weather-related challenges.
To adapt and appropriately respond to these challenges, the industry needs a new direction and transformation, says the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Water Environment Research Foundation and the Water Environment Federation in Water Resources Utility of the Future: A Blueprint for Action.
The Blueprint, which was prepared to inform the 113th Congress and the Obama Administration's environmental priorities, provides utility managers, state and local governments, the private sector, and others a set of priorities and action plan for the Utility of the Future (UOTF). It suggests internal changes, productivity improvements, and "bold, transformational thinking and cooperation in our advocacy, in research and development, and in education and outreach efforts."
Integrated Utility Management Plans Need Stronger Focus on Strategic Communication
I've reviewed the document with the intention of understanding the extent of the emphasis it places on strategic communication and environmental outreach. While it is mentioned and the authors invite bold, transformational thinking in general, I'd like to recommend that integrated management plans for the utility of the future have a stronger emphasis on strategic communication. Strategic communication, which includes internal, external, risk, crisis, safety, advocacy, environmental, two way-communication, etc. can:
- Support transformation and innovation in the water sector
- Create optimal conditions for spreading awareness and raising the positive profile of water utilities
- Improve the public perceptions of the value of water and the value of the water utility
- Help position a water utility as a vital enterprise, essential to thriving, sustainable communities.
Historical Evidence Shows Communication Discussions Not New
Communication and the importance of it for water utilities has been batted about for quite some time now. In the mid-80s, the National Academies challenged the EPA to focus on communication's role in crisis situations. In the 2004 A Strategic Assessment of the Future of Water Utilities’ Future, utility representatives identified nine attributes of excellence that would best position a water utility to excel. They recommended enhanced communication and cited the following -- “maintain strong internal and external communication skills and programs” -- as the number one action item.
In the National Drinking Water Council to the USEPA on Water Security Practices, Incentives, and Measures, Feature 12 focuses on internal and external communication for utilities and advocates implementing strategies for ongoing security-related communication with key partners to increase security and be better prepared to respond to emergencies.
Most recently, in the Water Environment Federation's Energy Roadmap, 40 water professionals with experience generating renewable energy at wastewater treatment plants, identified communication outreach as one of six key activities for progression to a utility of the future.
Action-Oriented Paradigm Shift Needed: It's Time for Stepped Up Strategic Communication
Internal changes and operational improvements can move utilities from collectors and handlers of wastewater to resource managers and environmental leaders. However, if awareness of the transformation is not raised and efforts to communicate about the value of water and the utilities' role in the economic and social well-being of our society is not stepped up, it will be difficult to count communities as partners when bad things happen (e.g., extreme weather events, climate change, aging infrastructure catastrophes, water rights, severe droughts, etc.).
When the media report only utility failures, that doesn't bode well for a utility's reputation and brand. If the media only report on water main breaks, the public's impression of the utility is not fully informed. The full or broader story of a UOTF is much more than aging infrastructure and busted pipes.
Engagement With Communities Critical
As water utilities undergo quantum movements and transformation in their operations, they should also examine their communication operations and portfolio. The utility of the future needs to incorporate continuous improvements in strategic communication, public environmental education, and the creative use of smart technologies.
Water utilities benefit when communities and stakeholders (e.g., legislators, governing boards, ratepayers, students, and the press) know and understand the role utilities play in watershed conservation, public health stewardship, fire protection, quality of life, and delivery of environmental and economic services. A more informed public is more likely to support the needs of water utilities.
Water utilities can no longer be the "silent utility." They need to be much more than a phantom agency that no one thinks or talks about until a main bursts or there is sensational coverage of a water disaster or security-related issue.
All utilities should increase content marketing, storytelling and storybranding on the actions taken to improve operations, sustainably manage resources, strengthen service delivery, and improve environmental quality (e.g., less landfill, reduced consumption of fossil fuels, supporting healthier ecosystems, etc.). Stories should:
- Showcase benefits to the local economy and efforts to move toward water independence (e.g., highlight the relationship between water and economic development)
- Communicate the value dynamics of actions taken by UOTFs (e.g., implementation of water quality solutions and technologies that save money and preserve valuable resources)
- Change the way we think and talk about water
- Showcase partnerships that result in improved operational efficiencies
- Create awareness about what happens behind the fence with regards to technology development, application and innovation.
Water Utilities Need to be Front and Center
Water is a social good and public trust asset that requires stewardship and protection. It is a prerequisite for and central to our life. The story of water utilities needs to be equally as central. Strategic communication coupled with leadership support and sufficient resources can help water utilities achieve their mission and should be an integral component of planning and operations.
Who the CEO Calls, Donna Vincent Roa is a member of the Water Environment Federation and the Federal Water Quality Association and frequently writes on water issues. She is Managing Partner and Chief Strategist of Vincent Roa Group, a strategic business and science communication firm that helps organizations achieve excellence in high-stakes communication, position brand communication as a key enterprise asset, and maximize communication resources. The firm specializes in communication to improve the earth and its people™— water, science, environment, sustainability, energy, public health, technology and LEED® communication.