09 Mar Pure Water San Diego Recognized Nationally with U.S. Water Prize

The U.S. Water Alliance (USWA) recently recognized the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department’s Water Purification Demonstration Project (now Pure Water San Diego) as one of the winners of the 2015 U.S. Water Prize for being “a trailblazer for reservoir augmentation… helping [to] develop standards for potable reuse across the country.”

A comprehensive education and outreach program was key to the success of the Demonstration Project, as well as the advancement of potable reuse in San Diego. Katz & Associates helped the City develop an outreach strategy that encouraged public involvement in the Demonstration Project and fostered active community dialogue about its components. Our staff developed and implemented a tour program for the Advanced Water Purification Facility, speakers bureau presentations, multilingual materials, research surveys, videos, online communications, and community events where information was provided to thousands of San Diegans. The result was an increase in understanding and a general approval rating of water purification that went from 26 percent in 2004 to 73 percent in 2012.

The USWA’s U.S. Water Prize is a highly-regarded award in the industry and was created to elevate organizations with strategies that promote the value of water and power of innovating for water sustainability. We are proud to have helped the City achieve this deserved recognition and will continue supporting the Pure Water San Diego program, which will provide one-third of San Diego’s drinking water supply by 2035 through the use of proven water purification technology.