Slide 1

KWWOA ConferenceLouisville, KY

April 16, 2013

Presented by Malinda Mays Water Infrastructure BranchDivision of WaterCOMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC

Why is communicating with the public important?1FAQsWhy is my bill/rates so high?How long will my water be off?Are you here to turn off my water?Are you hiring?Is the water safe to drink?When you dig in my yard, when will you/do you clean up/fix it?Do I have a leak?

Where does my water come from?Why/what are you testing/sampling for?Why does my water stink/smell?My meter isnt reading right.Why didnt you notify me before you turned my water off?Why didnt you let me know this was going to happen?

The audience was asked to write down 1 or 2 questions they get asked the most by the public as it relates to their job. The most frequently asked questions reported are listed above.2IGNORANCEDefinitionThe state of being ignorant: the lack of knowledge, education, or awareness. Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Aldous Huxley

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ignorance as the state of being ignorant which is the lack of knowledge, education, or awareness.

Whats one way to battle ignorance?

3PROACTIVE VS. REACTIVEProactive DefinitionOf a person, policy, or action - Creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after...

Being proactive!

When you think of being proactive, you probably think about doing proper preventive maintenance on your systems assets. But there are a lot of different things we can be proactive about rather than waiting to be reactive.

Instead of waiting until a customer comes in the office upset or bumps into you at WalMart and gives you an earful, you have the ability to be proactive to prevent some of this from happening.

How can you do this?

4COMMUNICATION

Communication (from Latin "communis", meaning to share) is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior.Simple. With one word. Communication.5HARDIN COUNTY WD NO. 2

The picture on the left is Hardin County Water District No. 2s CCR report from 2007. They expanded their CCR to include information about their recent meter conversion.

The picture on the left is a Water Users Guide. In this picture one panel is about using water wisely and the other is how much water do you use. The other side of this pamphlet talks about leaks and how to read your meter.6MCCREARY COUNTY WDWater ImportanceWater ScienceWater PollutionWater Effects

This Water Quality Curriculum was developed by McCreary County Water District with contributions by McCreary County School District, KY Division of Water, Strand Associates, Inc. (from grant money).

Inside are experiments, worksheets, handouts, and other activities.

7http://water.epa.gov/

8OTHER IDEAS

Other ways, ads/articles in newspapers, radio spots, information on/in bills, websites.9THE HOST

History: As part of the Sanitary Survey, drinking water systems are asked if they offer educational activities to the public. In June 2012 during Jeffersonvilles Sanitary Survey, Travis McKinney, Water Superintendent, answered no and a suggestion was made by the DOW representative to coordinate with the other water systems in Montgomery County to have a booth at the county fair or some such event to educate the public about hidden assets and hidden costs associated with water systems. Travis McKinney jumped on this idea and began making phone calls. By August 2012, the first planning meeting for an educational field day was held. Water and waste water systems in Montgomery and Menifee Counties gathered, along with representatives from the Gateway Area Development District and the Division of Water, and set a date for this event and discussed ideas for the event itself. A second planning meeting was held in September and the event was to take place on Saturday, October 6th from 1:00pm 5:00pm at Jeffersonvilles city park.

10SPONSORED BYCave Run Water CommissionMt. Sterling Water and Sewer SystemMontgomery County Sanitation District #2Levee Road Water AssociationJudy Water AssociationMontgomery County Water District #1KY Division of WaterGateway Area Development DistrictReid Village Water AssociationKentucky Rural Water AssociationKentucky 811Menifee Sanitation District #1Natural Resources Conversation Services

These utilities and organizations took part in the event. These sponsors provided materials, handouts, speakers, or set up display booths.11GUEST SPEAKERSEdsel Boyd Natural Resources Conservation ServiceJack Stickney Kentucky Rural Water AssociationGeorge Haynes DEP, Division of Compliance AssistanceDanielle Rogers DEP, Division of Water, Morehead Regional Office

Those on the agenda to speak during the event were: 12

Edsel boydFirst up to speak was Edsel Boyd with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Edsel discussed where the source water comes from, using pesticides on your property and where those pesticides end up, livestock, sinkholes, and backflow prevention devices. 13

JACK STICKNEYJack Stickney with Kentucky Rural Water Association explained to the audience the mission of Rural Water. Jack also mentioned that the operators have to have a lot of training to be qualified to do their job. Cost of service was discussed and Jack handed out a copy of an article from USA Today titled Nations Water Costs Rushing Higher http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-09-27/water-rates-rising/57849626/1. Also discussed was the amount of pipe in the country (2million miles!) and the $ needed for infrastructure. Jack also had a handout about public water system data taken from Drinking Water Watch - # of public water systems in Kentucky vs. in the country and graphs noting the number of municipal utilities, water districts, water associations, and other water systems in the state.

14

GEORGE HAYNESGeorge is an operator certification trainer in the departments Division of Compliance Assistance. George discussed continuing education the operators are required to have, the shortage of operators in KY, the need to pay operators more because the pay rate is so low compared to the responsibility the operators have, and the levels of certification.15

DANIELLE ROGERSDanielle Rogers is an inspector with the Division of Waters Morehead Regional Office. Danielle set up a display board with photos taken from a wastewater treatment plant, frequently asked questions, what not to flush, etc. Danielle also informed the audience what should be in wastewater urine and poo. What not to flush or put down your drain: prescriptions, plastics, kitty litter, sheets, socks, baby wipes, grease, etc. Overflows in the system have to be reported to the Regional Office. The bacteria in the water feeding on the waste was discussed which led to a question from the audience about using RidX for septic systems. The general consensus from DOW, Rural Water, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the wastewater operators in attendance was to not use RidX or anything comparable. However, a couple people discussed occasionally putting yeast in their septic system.

I mentioned that I had brought copies of EPAs Homeowners Guide to Septic Systems and handed out copies to those who requested one.16

GATEWAY AREA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

The Gateway Area Development District was represented by Joshua Farrow and Jocelyn Gross. Josh and Jocelyn were involved and very supportive of this event from the beginning. Josh and Jocelyn brought displays of the water and waste water coverage area in Montgomery and Menifee Counties and flow diagrams of conventional water and waste water treatment processes.17

As part of the Division of Waters booth, the model of a working water distribution system built by Solitha Dharman of the Division of Water was displayed. Handouts and activity books for children were available along with crayons, markers, and pens. The handouts included Ollie Otters activity booklets for kids Kindergarten through 4th grade, Fixaleak family fact sheet, and the Homeowners Guide to Septic Systems.

As mentioned previously, Danielle Rogers set up a display board with wastewater information pics of a WWTP and informational documents.18JEFFERSONVILLE WATER SYSTEM

Jeffersonvilles Water Superintendent, Travis McKinney, spoke about this slide and the following 2 slides.

Jeffersonville Water set up a display board inside with information such as the dollar amount of water Jeffersonville purchased from Mt. Sterling and Cave Run Water in 2011, total electric purchased for pump stations and tanks in 2011, etc.

Outside, Jeffersonville simulated a meter pit, set up a fire hydrant so customers could see the part underground, a flush hydrant and meter with the cost to purchase them new. See next slide for a close up of the flush hydrant and meter with cost.19JEFFERSONVILLE WATER SYSTEM

20CAVE RUN WATER COMMISSION

Cave Run Water Commission had a lot of information available about their system: pictures of the water treatment plant, detailed handouts that included information about the system, board of directors, mission, treatment and distribution processes. Jeff Fultz of Cave Run Water did an outstanding job helping make this event a success.21MT. STERLING WATER & SEWER

Wendell Fraley, Operations Manager of Mt. Sterling Water and Sewer discussed this slide and the next 2 slides.

Mt. Sterling Water and Sewer had a microscope with a TV monitor set up to show customers what is in their water prior to being treated. They also demonstrated the process they use for cleaning sewer lines.22MONTGOMERY COUNTY SD 2

Montgomery County Sanitation District 2 had several pieces of equipment set up with notes explaining what the item was and the cost to purchase new. On this slide is a pump station control panel box (that was struck by lightning), and pumps. The pump above right is 28 years old. The operator has replaced the bearings and seals twice at a cost of about $500 each time; whereas a new pump would cost $9,800. 23MONTGOMERY COUNTY SD 2

Montgomery County Sanitation District 2 also had a couple of grinder pump cutting blades out of grinder pumps. The smaller of the 2 in the pic above left was in a grinder pump that served about 30 households. My cell phone used as a point of reference for size is roughly 2 x 5.

The happy little face in the picture below right is part of a pump float switch that tells the pump when to turn on and off.24KY RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION

In addition to speaking, Jack Stickney with Kentucky Rural Water Association also set up a booth outside that had several freebies available including hats, cups, and pens.25FREEBIES AND DOOR PRIZES

Speaking of freebies, water bottles were available and all attendees were asked to sign in and were given a ticket. Door prizes were given away throughout the day. Door prizes were generously donated by all utilities that participated. The City of Jeffersonville donated all the fixins for grilled burgers and hot dogs, chips and soft drinks. There were about 70 public participants and roughly 40 people working the event.26HAPPY TO BE A PART OF IT ALL

At right: Jeff Fultz, Cave Run Water Commission and Travis McKinney, Jeffersonville WaterAbove from l to r: Solitha Dharman, DOW; George Haynes, DCA; Malinda Mays, DOW; Danielle Rogers, DOW; and Dan Canafax, DOWThank you Travis and Jeff for all your hard work. It was my honor and privilege to be a part of this event. It is my wish that more utilities will offer this type of outreach to their customers.27LISTENINGListening does not mean simply maintaining a polite silence while you are rehearsing in your mind the speech you are going to make the next time you can grab a conversational opening. Nor does listening mean waiting alertly for the flaws in the other fellow's argument so that later you can mow him down. Listening means trying to see the problem the way the speaker sees it--which means not sympathy, which is feeling for him, but empathy, which is experiencing with him. Listening requires entering actively and imaginatively into the other fellow's situation and trying to understand a frame of reference different from your own. This is not always an easy task.

"But a good listener does not merely remain silent. He asks questions. However, these questions must avoid all implications (whether in tone of voice or in wording) of skepticism or challenge or hostility. They must clearly be motivated by curiosity about the speaker's views."

(S.I. Hayakawa, "How to Attend a Conference." The Use and Misuse of Language, ed. by S.I. Hayakawa. Fawcett Premier, 1962)

One thing we can do is listen. Truly listen. I read many quotes about listening while preparing this presentation.

*Customers often just want someone to complain to, to get their frustration off their chest. Just to know someone listened to them, can often times diffuse an angry customer.

If you do not plan to take any actions based on what you hear, are you really listening?

From the May 2013 edition of the Readers Digest:When I was pulled over for speeding, I told the officer, Im sorry, but the road seemed clear and

How would you have reacted if Mister Frog had suddenly appeared? he interrupted.

Annoyed at his patronizing manner, I replied, I suppose I would have applied Mr. Brake and summoned up Mr. and Mrs. Headlight!

Enunciating each syllable, the officer repeated, How would you have reacted if mist or fog had suddenly appeared?--Submitted by Peter Melville, Cornwall, England28

QUESTIONSMalinda MaysWater Infrastructure BranchDivision of Water502-564-3410Malinda.mays@ky.gov