CONSUMER OUTREACH RESOURCES

• Connecting Every Drop: Are Your Water-Loss And Conservation Efforts Up To Date?

  A new, peer-reviewed study published on Nature.com confirms what water utilities know and confront every day — water scarcity is already a problem, and its growth is forcing action now. Fortunately, there are proven, although not yet widely adopted, tools available to utilities to combat and resolve this threat cost-effectively and faster than conventional methods. Here are tangible steps that can be taken to meet such current and future challenges.

• Telling Water's Story; Selling Your Story

  Why good storytelling is important for improving the state of municipal water service.

• My Favorite Water Podcasts

  When I pitched my idea of a water podcast to Adam Tank — marketer, storyteller, and millennial — he was skeptical because there were so many other water podcasts out there. I believed the world needed a podcast about telling the story of water, so I tackled the challenge just like I would take on any professional opportunity. I surveyed the landscape and created a mind map to get a sense of who else was in the space, and made it my business to learn from the best.

• Insights From A Water Equity Taskforce Member

  The Alliance is pleased to announce the release of our report, “Water Equity Taskforce: Insights for the Water Sector,” a report that highlights the achievements of the Water Equity Taskforce and the lessons learned throughout the project.

• Find The Right Rate To Fund Water Infrastructure Updates

  Of course, every water system sets rates and discusses when, why, and to what extent they should increase. But here’s the problem: We don’t raise rates often enough — or high enough.

• New Toolkit Arrives Just In Time For HAB Season

  With harmful algal blooms (HABs) being forecast to increase, in part due to the effects of climate change, more water systems can expect to face problematic cyanotoxin conditions more frequently and for more days per year. In its efforts to mitigate the negative effects of such increases, the U.S. EPA has enhanced its information resources for water utilities by issuing a new Cyanotoxins Preparedness and Response Toolkit (CPRT).

• Is It Time To Update The Way We Look At Harmful Algal Blooms?

  When harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur, their negative effects can cause impacts on everything from recreational water activities to drinking water sourcing and treatment. Knowing the actual locations affected and accurate levels of exposure are the first steps to winning the battle. New technology now offers accurate answers, in-house, within 10 minutes — without the cost or delay of shipping samples out to third-party labs.

• Understanding Public Perceptions And Demands Of Aquatic Resources Can Support Sustainable Management Practices

  Surface waters – such as rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, and coastal waters – are the primary types of aquatic resources that people interact with daily. As the global population continues to grow, demand increases for water resources. Scientists have long collaborated with government and local agencies to help manage these aquatic systems, and increasingly, researchers have been emphasizing the importance of treating our waterways as social-ecological systems. This view of systems recognizes the interconnected and resilient relationships between humans and nature. Understanding how individuals can positively interact and respond to water bodies over long periods of time would better support the sustainable management of aquatic resources.

• How The Right Tools Are Boosting Consumer Engagement

  By some accounts, as much as 20 percent of water utility customers across the U.S. aren’t aware that they have an active water leak. Until those customers understand that a leak is negatively impacting their water bill, they will likely have little interest in the underlying data.

• What To Do When Your Toilet Takes A Leak

  Save water and money by hunting down and plugging those irritating drips during Fix a Leak Week.