Information & Education Program for Water Environment Services Customers

2018 NACo Achievement Award Winner

Clackamas County, Ore., OR

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About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Clackamas County Water Environment Services (WES) provides wastewater treatment services for 165,000 customers. However, four cities within WES’ service area are “wholesale” customers, which means those cities directly bill customers, creating confusion for customers about which agency provides their service. For an organization dedicated to inclusion and transparency, this lack of service provider recognition posed a substantial challenge for WES to garner input and support for infrastructure upgrades needed to accommodate dramatic population growth. WES’ capacity to treat solids, a byproduct of waste from homes and businesses, needed to be increased to ensure that WES could continue to protect public health and the environment while also preventing a building moratorium in the County. After a 2015 survey revealed that only 14% of customers could identify WES as their service provider, the County produced a series of videos to educate customers about WES and inform them about the need for the infrastructure upgrades. The videos (supplemental material) were used in a variety of platforms, presentations, and venues over two years. The result was a substantial increase in customer awareness of WES and the need for an infrastructure upgrade, which played significant roles in gaining Board approval for the solids handling capacity improvement project.

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