Despite giving a huge boost to our nation’s infrastructure as a whole, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides only a small portion of what is needed for water and wastewater. Given the 'D-' that these services recently received in the American Society of Civil Engineers' Infrastructure Report Card, the need for investment is clear; gaining the public’s support during tough economic times, however, can be challenging at best.
To help utilities, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) has developed a new webcast that will provide insights and tools for effectively communicating the value of water infrastructure and the need for investment: “Making the Invisible, Visible – Effective Communications for Water Infrastructure" (www.wef.org/conferencestraining/webcasts/makingtheinvisiblevisible) will be held on July 16 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. EST.
This webcast will help utilities by focusing on the 10th Attribute of Effective Utility Management – Stakeholder Understanding and Support; providing an opportunity to hear from a seasoned reporter about how to communicate and elevate the water infrastructure discussion in today’s new media market; looking at Web 2.0 social marketing tools to help facilitate public information, education and involvement; and examining the St. Louis model for building a local coalition for water infrastructure investment.
Featured speakers will include James Horne from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Wastewater Management; Don Hamilton, former professional journalist and current chief of communications for the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office; Alan Shark, executive director and chief executive officer of the Public Technology Institute and assistant professor at Rutgers University School for Public Affairs & Administration; and Lance LeComb, public information director from the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District.
For more information, visit www.wef.org.
