Title
Approval to Participate in a Water Conservation Awareness Campaign with the St. Johns River Water Management District and other Florida Utilities (B)
Explanation
Several months ago, GRU was asked by the SJRWMD to participate in a water conservation campaign along with other water utilities in the state of Florida. The goal of this campaign is to educate the public on the importance of conserving water. Eventually we would to see public behavior regarding water use change so that eventually conservation can help ensure an adequate water supply for the future.
Currently, the District, and GRU's water conservation education programs utilize various means of promoting indoor and outdoor conservation. Efforts include the placement of newspaper articles and editorials, radio and TV news coverage, radio and TV public service announcements, presentation to community groups, displays at community events and distributing conservation literature. In addition, GRU Conservation Analysts provide water surveys upon request and assist customers with water conservation advice. We also promote the use of reclaimed water through a variety of programs and projects and we used some paid media during the drought when we had to communicate our mandatory water restrictions. Water conservation information is also available on the new GRU website.
While these efforts have been successful in educating a certain percentage of the population, a large segment of the population is either not receiving the information or not adhering to recommendations. Several issues must be considered when developing this program: 1) Florida, and especially Gainesville, is very transient. Customers are often here for only a short time; 2) the population will continue to increase. By the year 2020, the SJWMD estimates an increase in the population in their district of 50 percent. These customers come to us with preconceived notions about Florida's drinking water supply, so it is imperative th...
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