East Valley Water District (District) was presented with a Polaris Award for Community Relations from the Public Relations Society of America Inland Empire Chapter (PRSAIE) at their awards dinner held November 10, 2016. The award honored the District for their 2015 drought outreach efforts.
“The fundamental goal of the District’s drought campaign was to communicate the importance of making lasting and permanent changes,” said John Mura General Manager/CEO. “Our staff focused on engaging customers and communicating the importance of efficient water use.”
In response to the Governor’s Executive Order on April 1, 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board released regulation guidelines requiring the District to reduce water consumption by 28 percent. To comply with the regulations, the District’s Board of Directors approved the formation of an Ad-Hoc Conservation Committee. With the help of this Committee of Board Members, District staff implemented an extensive conservation program entitling it “On Our Way to 28”. The campaign used the 28 percent mandatory reduction requirement as a badge of honor to encourage the community to embrace water efficiency.
“We are honored to be recognized by PRSAIE for our community relations program,” said Board Chairman Ron Coats. “By assessing the community’s needs, the importance of practical tips and easy to understand messaging became apparent. The program was developed to provide simple yet functional messages to achieve our 28 percent mandatory reduction.”
The annual Polaris awards recognize public relations tactics and programs that successfully incorporate sound research, planning, execution, and evaluation. These awards represent the highest standards of performance in the public relations profession in the Inland Empire.