EXHIBIT 2-A

DRAFT for DISCUSSION MAY 2, 2008

Monterey Peninsula Water Management District

Public Outreach Committee

PUBLIC OUTREACH PLAN

THE PURPOSE OF PUBLIC OUTREACH

• To encourage the public to actively participate in water management, augmentation and protection.
• To actively involve, educate and encourage the public towards water solutions.
• To positively raise the visibility and image of the Water Management District by broadcasting its achievements and accomplishments.
• To provide gain broader public support for the work of the District through greater accessibility and transparency.
• To increase the public’s access to information on water regulations, updates and changes.

KEY OUTREACH MESSAGES

Public outreach messages should include, but not be limited to the following broad topics and issues:

1. Conserve Water

· Reduce the amount of water used at household and business level through reuse, recycling and “drought proofing”—by conserving water, there will be less need for water rationing in times of drought.

· Be aware of and observe the expanded water conservation and rationing program at its different stages.

2. Augment the Water Supply

· Capture water through rainwater harvesting (e.g., in cisterns at household level) and advocate for community level harvesting (e.g., in larger scale reservoirs)

· Provide inputs to proposals, planning, development and review of new sources of water for the District, e.g., desalination, recovery and reuse of stormwater and treated wastewater through public advocacy and lobbying at local and state levels.

3. Protect the Environment

· Water conservation and augmentation will help fulfill Order 95-10 and its goals in preserving and protecting Carmel River vegetation, fish and wildlife.

· District monitoring of wells helps prevent Carmel River/Seaside Groundwater Basin seawater intrusion, toxins and septic contamination.

· Carmel River flow gauging stations contribute to flood protection.

KEY PARTNERS

In order to fulfill the District’s goal of establishing respectful and effective relationships with California American Water, the eight land use jurisdictions and the Seaside Basin Watermaster, and the general public, partnerships should be established between the District and key groups such as:

1. California American Water Company

Public Relations Focal Person

2. Public Sector

Seaside Basin Watermaster

Water Awareness Committee of Monterey County, Inc.

Carmel River Watershed Conservancy

Hospitality associations

Real estate organizations

Environmental groups, etc.

3. Private Sector

[list key organizations here]

5. District Land Use Jurisdictions

[list eight here]

6. Local, State & Federal Legislators and Regulatory Agencies

[Lobbyist for here?]

7. Local Media

Newspapers (The Monterey Peninsula Herald, The Carmel Pine Cone, Coast Weekly, others?)

Radio (KAZU, others?)

Television (KSBW, AMP televise board meetings, others?)

Other media?

TOOLS & METHODS

1. Internet Website

Maintaining a website is an essential and cost-effective method to allow the public access to contact information, meeting schedules, agendas and minutes, plans, finances, projects, forms, important announcements and educational messages and materials. The website should include, but not be limited to:

• Mission Statement
• About MPWMD
• Meetings
• Announcements
• Projects
• Forms
• Finance and Administration
• Water Permits and Conservation
• Rules & Regulations
• Water Wells
• Map Gallery
• Water Resources Management
• Document Library
• Human Resources
• Printed Materials (including brochures, garden shop resources, landscape architects, water wise, annual reports, etc.)

2. Establish Community Outreach

MPWMD Annual Report

· Prepare and distribute updated annual progress reports to every household in the District at the end of the water year

Special Direct Mailings

· Prepare mailers as needed (e.g. on emergency or critical notifications, water fact sheets, conservation tips, reports, letter from the General Manager, etc.) for general or specialized groups (e.g., legislators, general public, city officials, business or civic groups)

Group Exhibitions (Open Houses, Tours, Fairs)

Provide opportunities for the public to get to know the District, its staff and activities by having the public come to our offices or have staff go into the community. Have on hand packets of educational/advocacy materials, water conservation supplies, posters, District banners, and “portable booths” ready to go or use in house.

· Hold District Open House events annually or as needed

· Attend water/environment-related school events, local celebrations, festivals and street fairs, Monterey County Fair

· Conduct Special Interest Tours as needed (to Carmel River riparian restoration areas, ASR Facilities, steelhead rearing/protection facility, dam sites, etc.)

Speakers Bureaus and Trained Speakers

Reach specialized community groups through standing speakers groups such as stakeholders, business, political, charitable, and/or trade groups and public education organizations. Select and train specific staff members or hire specialized consultant to hone presentation skills, prepare speeches and visual aids (PowerPoint presentations and/or handouts) to present to:

· Chambers of Commerce

· League of Women Voters

· Local Business/Trade Associations/Corporations

· Local Citizen Coalitions

· City Councils

Community Advisory Groups

Form specialized ad hoc or standing citizen groups to provide opportunities for inputs to policy, projects, specific emergency issues, water rates, bond measures, etc. Committees can be formed for:

· Carmel River Advisory Committee

· Community Advisory Committee

· Others?

3. Establish Legislative Outreach

A proactive legislative outreach focal point is required in order to keep abreast of the vast amount of legislation and regulations affecting water that is proposed, discussed, and enacted, to keep track of incoming and outgoing legislators, to be more aware of available funding for District projects and activities, and to ensure that specific legislators are aware of District needs and issues.

· City

· County

· State (Assembly, Senate, and Governor’s Office)

· Federal

4. Establish Media Outreach

In order to more effectively reach the public and broadcast key water messages and issues, the District should develop and sustain good working relationships with the media. Media outreach requires:

· Developing media objectives

· Media policy and protocol

· Training/appointing a media spokesperson

· Identifying messages similar to public outreach

· Identifying target audiences and matching them to specific media

· Developing tools such as news releases, video footage, photos, editorial briefings, opinion pieces, public service announcements, advertisements, etc.

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