Association of California Water Agencies

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QuenchCA Campaign Releases New Social Media Graphics, Other Toolkit Items for Member Use

ACWA’s statewide public education campaign, Quench California, has released new social media graphics and customizable posts to help member agencies take advantage of the campaign branding and website while amplifying the importance of investing in water infrastructure in their communities.

Toolkit items

The new toolkit items include customizable social media posts and graphics, including some connecting infrastructure to commemorate popular social media days. All toolkit items can be found in an easily-downloadable zip file or through the individual links below. Toolkit items include:

Questions

For questions about the QuenchCA campaign and paid partnership opportunities, please contact ACWA Director of Communications Heather Engel at (916) 669-2387. For help downloading, customizing or using any of the tools, please contact ACWA Communications Specialist Ellen Martin at (916) 669-2416.

PFAS Communications Toolkit Updated to Reflect New National MCL

ACWA has updated its PFAS toolkit to reflect the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recently adopted national maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS as individual contaminants and a standard of 10 ppt for PFNA, PFHxs and HFPO-DA.

ACWA is encouraging member agencies to utilize the toolkit to educate customers about PFAS and the challenges to complying with the MCL. The toolkit includes:

Background

The EPA regulation of PFAS through the Safe Drinking Water Act began in 2009. The MCL was announced in April and requires public water systems to monitor for these PFAS, notify the public of the levels of these PFAS and reduce the levels of these PFAS in drinking water if they exceed the MCL. Utilities will have five years to come into compliance with the rule.

ACWA previously supported EPA’s efforts to address PFAS contamination and protect public health through setting drinking water standards that are based on sound science and robust analysis. Unfortunately, the MCL is not feasible because the anticipated costs of complying are not adequately captured under EPA’s cost assessment.

ACWA has encouraged EPA to take more proactive measures to identify sources of PFAS and limit their discharges, as prevention is more cost-effective than attempting to clean up pollution. ACWA also stressed the importance of maintaining the “polluter pays” principle under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Under this principle the entities responsible for PFAS pollution are held accountable for costs associated with cleanup, not water ratepayers.

California Regulation

In a separate effort, the California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Assessment on April 5 adopted and published public health goals of 0.007 ppt for PFOA and 1.0 ppt for PFOS. A public health goal is a drinking water objective that does not pose a significant risk to health and is not an enforceable standard. The State Water Resources Control Board also listed developing a PFAS MCL as a 2024 Drinking Water Priority.

Questions

For questions about EPA’s actions on PFAS, please contact ACWA Director of Federal Relations Ian Lyle. For questions about State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water actions on PFAS, please contact ACWA Regulatory Advocate Nick Blair. For questions about toolkit items, including customization, please contact ACWA Director of Communications Heather Engel.

Spring Workforce Campaign Includes New Tools to Help with Recruitment

Many California water and wastewater agencies have seen significant turnover in recent years, with more than half of the workforce retiring in large waves, a trend some call the water workforce “silver tsunami.”

To help member agencies promote careers in the water and wastewater industries, ACWA has partnered with the California Water Environment Association, California Association of Sanitation Agencies and the Water Energy Education Alliance in a 2024 Spring Recruitment Campaign. The campaign provides water and wastewater agencies a social media toolkit to use when promoting jobs at their agency. While the campaign officially runs through May 30, many of the tools can be used indefinitely.

Available Resources

The 2024 Spring Recruitment Campaign includes the following items to help member agencies recruit high-quality candidates:

In addition to those resources, members are encouraged to revisit the ACWA and ACWA JPIA assembled toolkit items, including:

The testimonial videos are a great tool to use at career fairs, on social media, on your website and in any other recruitment efforts your agency has, to encourage candidates to consider a career in water.

Questions

For questions about the toolkit items, please contact ACWA Communications Specialist Ellen Martin at (916) 441-4545.

Celebrate Water Awareness Month

California’s Water Awareness Month will kick off May 1, providing water suppliers an opportunity to highlight agency efforts, programs and investments made to continue delivering safe and affordable water to the communities they serve. This is also a great opportunity to continue asking customers to use water wisely and share information on the Making Conservation a California Way of Life Regulation that is expected to be adopted this summer.

As part of the designated month, urban and agricultural water agencies are encouraged to plan now to utilize their communication channels to educate communities and other key audiences on the essential role that water suppliers play in providing safe and reliable water services.

ACWA is encouraging member agencies to participate in Water Awareness Month through the suggested activities below. A logo and several documents and graphics are provided in an ACWA toolkit.

Suggested Local Activities

1. Highlight your agency on social media and through other communication channels. Customizable social media posts and graphics are available, including generalized posts for both urban and agricultural agencies and posts specifically related to the proposed regulation for urban water suppliers.

2. Let your local media know you are participating in Water Awareness Month and use it as an opportunity to start discussing the Making Conservation a California Way of Life Regulation. Customizable talking points, a sample newsletter article and an FAQ on the proposed regulation are available.

3. Consider organizing a tour of facilities or share behind-the-scenes videos with the community so they understand the important work being done and the importance of using water wisely.

Social Media Content

When sharing Water Awareness Month content on your agency’s social media platforms, please use the following related hashtags: #WaterAwarenessMonth, #CAWaterAwarenessMonth and #CAWater.

Sample social media content has been created and is available in an easily downloadable zip file.

Questions

For questions about Water Awareness Month, please contact ACWA Senior Communications Specialist Caroline Meade at (916) 669-2383. For help customizing toolkit items with your agency logo, contact ACWA Communications Specialist Katherine Causland at (916) 669-2401.

QuenchCA Campaign Releases New Social Media Graphics, Other Toolkit Items for Member Use

ACWA’s statewide public education campaign, Quench California, has released new social media graphics and customizable posts — including some connecting infrastructure to commemorate popular social media days — to encourage member agencies to take advantage of the campaign branding and website while amplifying the importance of investing in water infrastructure in their communities.

Toolkit items

ACWA is encouraging member agencies to utilize these resources to take advantage of ACWA’s QuenchCA campaign branding and provide broader context and support to local infrastructure projects.

The new social posts with links to the corresponding graphics, newsletters and website button can all be found in an easily-downloadable zip file. You can also access individual toolkit items on the ACWA website. Toolkit items include:

Questions

For questions about the QuenchCA campaign and paid partnership opportunities, please contact ACWA Director of Communications Heather Engel at (916) 669-2387. For help downloading, customizing or using any of the tools, please contact ACWA Communications Specialist Ellen Martin at (916) 669-2416.

‘2023 Year in Review’ Available

ACWA’s “2023 Year in Review” publication is now available to read and download online, while a printed copy also has been mailed to all member agencies.

The annual publication outlines ACWA’s advocacy wins, awards and services provided to members, as well as events and statistics on association activity during the previous year.

Read all about the big wins and tough challenges we saw this year in the “2023 Year in Review” by downloading the complete document on the ACWA website at acwa.com/resources.

Participate in National Groundwater Awareness Week March 10-16

ACWA encourages member agencies to participate in National Groundwater Awareness Week March 10-16 to raise the public’s awareness of groundwater as a vital resource.

The event, established by the National Groundwater Association (NGWA) in 1999, provides a weeklong opportunity for water agencies to highlight the tremendous work taking place throughout California to manage groundwater sustainability.

Suggested outreach tactics include:

Resources/Toolkit items:

Sample Social Media Posts

The following sample social media posts can be customized to your agency with links to resources listed above or to information about groundwater on your agency’s website. To help ensure the issue trends across social media channels, use the hashtags #GWAW, #cawater, #groundwater, #cagroundwater and #sgma.

Background

Groundwater Awareness Week is an annual observance established in 1999 to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater. It is also a platform to encourage yearly water well testing and well maintenance, and the promotion of policies impacting groundwater quality and supply.

Groundwater advocates across the country also use the week to highlight local water issues in their communities.

Questions

For more information, visit the NGWA website or contact ACWA Director of Communications Heather Engel at (916) 669-2387.

Deadline Extended to March 8 for ACWA’s Spring Awards

ACWA is still accepting applications for its 2024 Spring Awards Programs. Thank you to those who have submitted applications! To give members a little more time, ACWA is extending the deadline to March 8.

Eligible members are encouraged to submit nominations and/or applications for one or more of the below awards. Winners will be honored at ACWA’s Spring Conference & Expo, May 7-9.

Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award

The Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence recognizes exemplary programs developed by ACWA member agencies in water resources management. Sponsored by Jacobs, the award recognizes projects and programs in a variety of areas, including capital improvements, water quality, watershed or ecosystem restoration, renewable energy, and more.

The winning agency is given the opportunity to select the finalists for a $5,000 scholarship awarded to a deserving undergraduate student in a water resources-related field.

Applications for this year’s award must be submitted electronically using ACWA’s easy-to-use online award system by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 8. Members must register online to apply. This account is separate from your ACWA website login.

More information about this award is available on ACWA’s website.

Excellence in Water Leadership Award

Sponsored by Black & Veatch, ACWA’s Excellence in Water Leadership Award – Building a World of Difference® – recognizes individuals or groups who have made remarkable and visible contributions to the enhancement, protection or development of water resources in California.

The award recipient has the honor of bestowing a $5,000 charitable contribution to a nonprofit organization that works toward the enhancement and/or protection of California’s water resources.

The Excellence in Water Leadership Award nomination form is available on the ACWA website. Nominations must be sent via email and must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 8.

More information about this award is available on ACWA’s website.

Questions

For questions about the awards, please contact ACWA Senior Communications Specialist Caroline Meade at (916) 669-2383.

 

Governor Releases Strategy to Recover Salmon Populations Affected by Climate Change, Calls for Habitat Restoration

Gov. Gavin Newsom today released a strategy to restore salmon populations in the face of hotter and drier weather exacerbated by climate change, the first such strategy to protect salmon on a generational scale in the state.

The “California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future: Restoring Aquatic Ecosystems in the Age of Climate Change” document outlines six priorities and 71 specific actions to build healthier, thriving salmon populations. The six priorities are:

These priorities lay out specific actions with deadlines, as well as partnerships between responsible agencies on the local, state, federal and Tribal Nation level, to build healthier salmon populations in California. For example, the strategy calls for adopting by 2025 an updated Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, which could include the Agreements to Support Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (formerly referred to as Voluntary Agreements), to protect beneficial uses including the protection of salmon, steelhead, and other native aquatic species.

Other actions include modifying or reoperating existing water infrastructure to provide seasonal inundation of at least 10,000 acres of floodplain habitat; creating an additional 5,000 acres of floodplain habitat and reconnecting salmon to floodplains across the Central Valley; and completing supply-demand assessment pilot projects in three watersheds to better manage water allocations and provide data for local water management decisions.

Questions

For questions regarding the strategy document, please contact ACWA State Relations Advocate Stephen Pang at (916) 669-2369.

 

Federal Agencies Release New Cybersecurity Guidance for Water, Wastewater Sector

The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have partnered to produce an “Incident Response Guide” to provide water and wastewater agencies with cybersecurity support that will improve their cyber resilience.

Featuring links, graphics and charts, the 27-page guide includes a comprehensive set of resources and recommended procedures for water and wastewater agency personnel. The report relied on contributions from a number of private companies, nonprofit associations and public agencies, including ACWA member agencies East Bay Municipal Utility and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission District.

Water and wastewater agencies can use the guide in determining federal roles, resources, and responsibilities for each stage of a cyber incident response lifecycle. Agencies can also use it to augment their respective cybersecurity incident plans and procedures.

Background

According to the report, cyberattacks have targeted water and wastewater agencies in the past by exploiting vulnerabilities in their SCADA and information technology systems. Nation-state cyber actors also have demonstrated an intent to target U.S. water and wastewater utilities. In November 2023, a cyber actor group affiliated with the Iranian Government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted and compromised programmable logic controllers that were used at utilities, according to the report. The cyber actors likely accessed the affected device by exploiting cybersecurity weaknesses, including poor password security and exposure to the internet.

Ransomware presents another threat. In July 2021, for example, criminal cyber actors used ransomware via remote access to compromise a SCADA computer at a Maine-based utility. According to the report, this incident caused the utility to revert to manual control of critical processes. Additionally, in August 2021, malicious cyber actors used ransomware against a California-based utility. The ransomware variant resided in the system for about a month before discovery when three SCADA servers displayed a ransomware message.

By empowering individual utilities, the authors of this guide aim to drive improvements to cyber resilience and incident response across the water and wastewater sector.

Questions

For more information about the guide and other cyber security resources, visit the CISA website.