Walnut Valley Water District

In our partnership with the Walnut Valley Water District, WaterNow Alliance will analyze the participation of Asian American and Pacific Islander and Mandarin-speaking communities in water use efficiency programs. They will also conduct surveys of other utilities with related ventures to gather lessons learned and best practices. With this information, the team will work with local stakeholders to develop outreach tools and enhance communications specifically for AAPI communities. WaterNow Alliance’s goal is to create more equity among the Walnut Valley Water District service area by enabling all community members to reap the benefits of the District’s water use efficiency programs and activities.

Walnut Valley Water District is in the process of leveraging its already robust engagement practices to strengthen its relationships with the Asian American and Pacific Islander and Mandarin-speaking communities within its service area. Since the project, the District has:

• Implemented video captions on all District items, which is now a requirement. With every Reel, TikTok, or YouTube video, captions are included. The District is also exploring the addition of translated captions.
• Participated in the Trust Building Support Initiative, in partnership with the Chinese American Association of Walnut (CAAW), to co-develop a Water Summit catered to the needs of the community. This event will invite community members to visit the District building, learn about the District’s programs and operations, and participate in fun, interactive events. This is the first step in the District’s plan to continue to deepen and broaden its connections with some of the community groups in the service area, identified through this research. This Water Summit will also encourage participants to sign up for a new online customer portal, which creates another opportunity for customers to engage more directly with their water use, and another avenue for the District to share content about water use efficiency programing with customers.
• WVWD is partnering with a local school-parent association to advance water use efficiency by creating a curriculum of volunteer hours focused on the outreach of District water use efficiency programs and water savings devices.

These activities mark exciting first steps, as the District plans to continue to expand their outreach and engagement to the local community.