KY Water Hero: Communications Toolkit

Water Conservation is an increasingly critical part of any water management program, from the local to the national level.

Using water-saving practices can help customers save money on their water and energy bills, protect critical environmental resources, and make our communities more resilient to drought.

Outreach to water users about the importance of conservation to influence behavior is a key step for utilities that want their customers to learn how to save. The Kentucky Division of Water's "Be a KY Water Hero" Campaign is designed to provide a starting point for systems that want to launch an education and outreach plan to encourage water conservation amongst their users.

• Talking to Customers
• Water Conservation Web Resources
  • Be a KY Water Hero Pledge Page
  • 5 Ways to Save
• Print and Social Media
  • Graphics
  • Sample Posts
  • Printable Resources
• Videos
• More Resources

Transparency and honesty are the keys to successful communication with the public

• Provide honest, accurate and comprehensive information
• Ensure your communications materials are easy to read and understandable for people with differing educational levels
• Strengthen your message by partnering with community stakeholders
• Take the initiative in providing information to your community: reach out early and often!

Research has shown that people are more likely to change their behavior when they are informed, feel motivated, and know which behaviors to change.

Using this framework, a water conservation outreach campaign needs to keep the following elements front and center:

1. Information about a specific problem
2. Motivating messages (ie. "why this matters to you")
3. Suggestions about specific steps customers can take

Water conservation is always good practice, as it helps provide a safety buffer ahead of drought conditions, protects the environment, reduces a population's carbon footprint, and saves energy. Make the public aware of the benefits of saving water.

In the event of an expected shortage (ie. drought conditions or infrastructure maintenance), providing information to the public about the situation ahead of the need to impose water restrictions is key to avoiding negative reactions and encouraging meaningful change.

The public needs to understand how water conservation benefits them and the greater community. Here are some examples:

• Our community's reservoir is at 38%. Water conservation is key to getting us through the drought.
• Drought is here, but you can help! Conserve water
• A leaky faucet can waste up to 3000 gallons a year. That's money down the drain! Fix leaks to conserve water and save on your monthly bill.
• Is your toilet running? You'd better catch it, because it's flushing money down the drain! Fixing leaks saves you money and helps your community by saving water.

Many of your customers are willing to conserve water but may not know how, so providing the skills that you want them to use is key. Be specific about what you want them to do. Examples include:

• Check faucets, pipes, and toilets for leaks
• Take shorter showers
• Install high efficiency toilets and faucets
• Turn the water off after you wet your toothbrush
• Use the dishwasher or clothes washer only when you have full loads
• Mulch your gardens to reduce evaporation

For more water conservation tips, explore the  Division of Water's Water Conservation website .

The Division of Water has developed a variety of resources that may be utilized by public water systems to reach out to customers and inform the public about how to conserve water. If you would like assistance customizing any of the resources seen here, or would like assistance developing a specific tool, please contact Dale Booth (Dale.booth@ky.gov). Check back for more resources as they become available.

This  web resource  contains 5 easy ways to save water around the home with many helpful instructional videos.

Taking shorter showers can really add up to water savings. The  Sonoma Gazette  in California created a playlist of 5-minute songs to time your shower.  Find the list here on Spotify. 

•  How to detect toilet leaks (pdf) 

•  Don't Ignore It! (png) 
•  Fix that Faucet! (png) 
•  Be a Water Hero (png) 

•  Using your water meter to find leaks (png) 
•  How to detect toilet leaks (png) 

•  Water Conservation in the Home (pdf) 
•  Water Conservation in the Yard (pdf) 
•  Water Conservation in the Office (pdf) 
•  5 Ways to Save flyer (pdf) 
•  Kentucky Water Hero Conservation Checklist (pdf) 

The  Be a KY Water Hero Pledge campaign  seeks to educate the public about ways to conserve water and give people a chance to commit to make changes in their daily habits. It's a good way to show that your community takes water conservation seriously. It can be leveraged to run competitions between customer groups and encourage positive action.