EXHIBIT 2-A
DRAFT for DISCUSSION
MAY 2, 2008
Monterey Peninsula Water Management
District
Public Outreach Committee
PUBLIC OUTREACH PLAN
THE PURPOSE
OF PUBLIC OUTREACH
KEY
OUTREACH MESSAGES
Public
outreach messages should include, but not be limited to the following broad
topics and issues:
1.
Conserve Water
·
Reduce
the amount of water used at household and business level through reuse,
recycling and “drought proofing”—by conserving water, there will be less need
for water rationing in times of drought.
·
Be
aware of and observe the expanded water conservation and rationing program at
its different stages.
2.
Augment the Water Supply
·
Capture
water through rainwater harvesting (e.g., in cisterns at household level) and
advocate for community level harvesting (e.g., in larger scale reservoirs)
·
Provide
inputs to proposals, planning, development and review of new sources of water
for the District, e.g., desalination, recovery and reuse of stormwater and
treated wastewater through public advocacy and lobbying at local and state
levels.
3.
Protect the Environment
·
Water
conservation and augmentation will help fulfill Order 95-10 and its goals in
preserving and protecting Carmel River vegetation, fish and wildlife.
·
District
monitoring of wells helps prevent Carmel River/Seaside Groundwater Basin
seawater intrusion, toxins and septic contamination.
·
Carmel
River flow gauging stations contribute to flood protection.
KEY PARTNERS
In order to
fulfill the District’s goal of establishing respectful and effective relationships
with California American Water, the eight land use jurisdictions and the
Seaside Basin Watermaster, and the general public, partnerships should be
established between the District and key groups such as:
1.
California American Water Company
Public Relations Focal Person
2.
Public Sector
Seaside Basin Watermaster
Water Awareness Committee of Monterey
County, Inc.
Carmel River Watershed Conservancy
Hospitality associations
Real estate organizations
Environmental groups, etc.
3.
Private Sector
[list key organizations here]
5.
District Land Use Jurisdictions
[list eight here]
6.
Local, State & Federal Legislators and Regulatory Agencies
[Lobbyist for here?]
7.
Local Media
Newspapers (The Monterey Peninsula
Herald, The Carmel Pine Cone, Coast Weekly, others?)
Radio (KAZU, others?)
Television (KSBW, AMP televise board meetings, others?)
Other media?
TOOLS
& METHODS
1.
Internet Website
Maintaining a website is an essential
and cost-effective method to allow the public access to contact information,
meeting schedules, agendas and minutes, plans, finances, projects, forms,
important announcements and educational messages and materials. The website
should include, but not be limited to:
2.
Establish Community Outreach
MPWMD
Annual Report
·
Prepare
and distribute updated annual progress reports to every household in the
District at the end of the water year
Special
Direct Mailings
·
Prepare
mailers as needed (e.g. on emergency or critical notifications, water fact
sheets, conservation tips, reports, letter
from the General Manager, etc.) for general or specialized groups (e.g.,
legislators, general public, city officials, business or civic groups)
Group
Exhibitions (Open Houses, Tours, Fairs)
Provide
opportunities for the public to get to know the District, its staff and
activities by having the public come to our offices or have staff go into the
community. Have on hand packets of educational/advocacy materials, water
conservation supplies, posters, District banners, and “portable booths” ready
to go or use in house.
·
Hold
District Open House events annually or as needed
·
Attend
water/environment-related school events, local celebrations, festivals and
street fairs, Monterey County Fair
·
Conduct
Special Interest Tours as needed (to Carmel River riparian restoration areas,
ASR Facilities, steelhead rearing/protection facility, dam sites, etc.)
Speakers Bureaus and
Trained Speakers
Reach
specialized community groups through standing speakers groups such as
stakeholders, business, political, charitable, and/or trade groups and public
education organizations. Select and train specific staff members or hire
specialized consultant to hone presentation skills, prepare speeches and visual
aids (PowerPoint presentations and/or handouts) to present to:
·
Chambers
of Commerce
·
League
of Women Voters
·
Local
Business/Trade Associations/Corporations
·
Local
Citizen Coalitions
·
City
Councils
Community
Advisory Groups
Form specialized ad hoc or standing
citizen groups to provide opportunities for inputs to policy, projects,
specific emergency issues, water rates, bond measures, etc. Committees can be
formed for:
·
Carmel
River Advisory Committee
·
Community
Advisory Committee
·
Others?
3.
Establish Legislative Outreach
A proactive legislative outreach focal
point is required in order to keep abreast of the vast amount of legislation
and regulations affecting water that is proposed, discussed, and enacted, to
keep track of incoming and outgoing legislators, to be more aware of available
funding for District projects and activities, and to ensure that specific
legislators are aware of District needs and issues.
·
City
·
County
·
State
(Assembly, Senate, and Governor’s Office)
·
Federal
4.
Establish Media Outreach
In order to more effectively reach the
public and broadcast key water messages and issues, the District should develop
and sustain good working relationships with the media. Media outreach requires:
·
Developing
media objectives
·
Media
policy and protocol
·
Training/appointing
a media spokesperson
·
Identifying
messages similar to public outreach
·
Identifying
target audiences and matching them to specific media
·
Developing
tools such as news releases, video footage, photos, editorial briefings,
opinion pieces, public service announcements, advertisements, etc.
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