Plan Now for National Drinking Water Week 2014
On May 4-10, this year, National Drinking Water Week (NDWW) will once again provide a great opportunity for state drinking water programs and water utilities to promote the value of drinking water. Do you have events planned in your state for this special week?
What You Can Do: For some inspiring ideas, along with a variety of outreach and educational materials to promote NDWW, ASDWA would like to share some of the ways that your fellow state drinking water programs and others have celebrated. Some states issue Governor proclamations; hold open houses at their offices with displays and exhibits; and synchronize the timing of ceremonies and press events with NDWW, including announcing drinking water system awards and/or releasing the state’s annual drinking water report.
Customizable Press Release and Governor’s Proclamation: We have attached a sample press release and Governor’s proclamation to customize for use in your state.
State Examples: To see some examples from other states, you may view:
The Colorado Governor’s proclamation news release from last year.
TheMassachusetts Governor’s proclamation from last year.
Minnesota’s Fall 2013 Waterline newsletterwith the Governor’s picture signing the proclamation.
The Washington Drinking Water Program presented three awards to outstanding water system operators last year during NDWW, in conjunction with a proclamation from the Governor. See page 3 of the December 2012 Issue of the WaterTap newsletter.
Territory Example: The American Samoa celebrates National Drinking Water Month in May (in conjunction with NDWW). Last year, the Governor signed a proclamation declaring the entire month of May (for 2013 and for every year after) to be “Drinking Water Month” in the American Samoa. Activities included educational outreach to high schools and some elementary schools to “Get Yo’ Drank On!” They also held 30 minute TV talk shows to promote awareness about the different ways communities can protect their drinking water sources. To conclude their month-long festivities for Drinking Water Month, the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency team hosted a H2O Exhibition at their new “Platinum Certified Green – LEED Building” that included presentations from 10 different government agency representatives, as well as educational information about where drinking water comes from, how it is treated, and how to protect it.
Water Utilities: Your state’s water utilities also provide a great avenue for promoting NDWW directly with their customers and community. Please help them by getting them involved in your state-directed activities, and sharing some of the following resources with them as examples of what they can do. The City of Evanston, Illinois provides a good example of a water utility that continues to promote National Drinking Water Week each year. This year, they will be conducting: a photo and coloring contest; a sunset paddle and water sports events; a rain barrel workshop, and more. See Evanston’s activities online at: http://www.cityofevanston.org/sustainability/water-conservation/drinking-water-week/.
AWWA Resources: The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has also put together a package of tools on its web site for anyone to use. These include: web banners; logo and t-shirt art; sample press releases; contests; children’s activities; advertisements; radio announcements; and more. To view and download the tools from AWWA, go HERE.
EPA Resources: For your reference, please also note EPA’s “Protect Your Drinking Water for Life” website for public education and outreach information on learning about drinking water; being conscientious of drinking water supply issues; and getting involved in local community efforts. EPA’s website is located at: http://water.epa.gov/action/protect/index.cfm.
CDC’s Web Page: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a web page dedicated to Drinking Water Week that provides a history of drinking water safety and waterborne disease; a link to information on private wells; and a listing of CDC’s drinking water related activities at: http://www.cdc.gov/features/drinkingwater/.
Please Share with Us: We hope this information is helpful for you. Please let us know what you are planning in your state. We would like to hear from you and get additional examples to share with other states.
