The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) announced the recipients of its Huell Howser Excellence in Communication Award and annual Emissary Award last week at its 2022 Fall Conference and Exhibition.
The Excellence in Communication Award went to Kings River Conservation District (KRCD) for its Bottled Water Delivery Program campaign and the Emissary Award went to Anjanette Shadley, Western Canal Water District’s assistant general manager.
Excellence in Communication Award
The award was presented during the 2022 ACWA Fall Conference & Exhibition in Indian Wells, where water professionals are gathering through Thursday for programs and panel discussions on California’s critical water issues. KRCD was among five finalists for the award that honors exceptional communications and outreach programs.
As part of its campaign, KRCD utilized water quality and demographic data to identify nitrate-impacted residents and employed widespread outreach through direct mailers, emails, canvassing, workshops, webinars, social and traditional media channels, and paid digital communications.
To build trust with residents, KRCD focused on community events, venues, and organizations. In addition, communication materials were translated into Spanish, Hmong, and Punjabi where appropriate. The campaign saw an average 12 percent growth rate in an eligibility survey for the free bottled water delivery program and more than 230 residents qualified for free safe drinking water delivery.
“It’s critical that water districts continue to educate and engage their customers on significant issues that affect their water quality, such as nitrate contamination,” says ACWA President Pamela Tobin. “The comprehensive outreach done for this campaign shows that creative and extensive communication can prove successful in reaching rural communities and helping them access safe drinking water.”
Other finalists for this year’s award were:
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District for its Drought Emergency Strategic Messaging campaign to achieve support from customers in reducing water use to ensure a 35% reduction compared to 2020.
Rancho California Water District for its “Journey of Water” video series to educate its customers about where their water comes from and garner support for infrastructure projects, rate changes and more.
Turlock Irrigation District (TID) for its Water and Power Podcast that provides customer-owners and the community insight into TID’s operations and happenings.
Valley Water for its Purified Water and Conservation Media Campaign to encourage County residents and businesses to reduce water use by 15% compared to 2019.
Emissary Award
The award recognizes individuals who have made remarkable contributions to California water through voluntary service to ACWA.
Shadley has been actively involved with ACWA for more than a decade and is currently the co-chair of the association’s Agricultural Committee.
“Anjanette Shadley has been a collaborative and thoughtful voice at ACWA, especially for our agricultural members,” says Tobin. “Her dedication and engagement in working to promote ACWA’s goals at the local, regional and state levels are greatly appreciated and we are thrilled to be able to honor her for her contributions.”
Shadley led the first Agricultural Communications Subcommittee and chaired the Voluntary Agreement Communication Workgroup. In addition, she continuously promotes the understanding of ACWA’s agricultural members through member news, social media channels and in advocacy efforts.
