People who aren’t in the business may find most municipal public works Web sites less than exciting. That’s not the case in Portland, Ore.
The Portland Water Bureau Web site is as entertaining as it is informational. A frequently updated water blog, written by a bureau staffer in a breezy, conversational style, is the centerpiece of an Internet public outreach program, says Jimmy Brown, manager of the bureau’s community involvement and information section.
“It’s another way for us to tell the bureau’s story,” Brown says. “About 60 percent of the city’s house-holds are wired to the Internet, so this is a good vehicle to connect with those residents on information that’s important to them.”
The numbers back up Brown’s assertion. The site, which had initially received about 2,000 hits per month, suddenly got 6,000 to 8,000. Brown attributes that to Portland residents’ affinity for social networking and to the blog’s increasing editorial content — hundreds of articles are archived on the site.
In addition, city surveys show that residents’ support for bureau projects has increased by more than 50 percent during the last couple of years. Brown says that overall public outreach is successful.
What’s going on?
Visitors to the Web site (www.portlandonline.com/water) enjoy a mix of serious and amusing stories. They learn about things like hard water (including an answer to the age-old question of whether it can really break teeth). Or they can read about the two residents arrested for skinny-dipping in a reservoir, repairs to one of the city’s famous fountains, a new water bottle for hikers that filters out water-borne viruses, and the bureau’s “I Only Drink Tap Water” campaign.
The blog also engages readers with fun yet informative trivia questions. For example, readers recently were asked:
• How many customers does the bureau serve? (860,000)
• Which country was the first to treat its public drinking water? (Belgium)
In short, the bureau takes information seriously by using humor to convey it. “We can get technical with the best of them,” says Brown, a city employee for almost 15 years. “But the real question is: Can we get the information out so that the average person understands what’s going on with their water system?
“We want the site to be somewhat technical, but not so laced with scientific principles that people throw up their hands and say, ‘I don’t really want to read this stuff.’ It’s better to make it enjoyable as well as informative.”
The seeds of the blog were sown when the bureau sent a group of employees to New Orleans to help rebuild infrastructure after Hurri-cane Katrina. A public information officer who enjoys blogging began sending daily reports to bureau colleagues that, in turn, were posted on an employee intranet site.
“Out of that, we decided to go public and write articles about the water bureau, based primarily on information requests from residents,” Brown says. “We didn’t want anything really heavy or technical, but more along the lines of, ‘This is the life of the water bureau.’
“If you look at the blog now versus the fall of 2007, it’s a 180-degree difference,” he says. “It’s a much more robust blog, with much more zip and personality. It puts technical information out there in light, airy and user-friendly fashion.”
The blog takes national stories and brings them down to a local, personal level. Brown cites a recent scare over prescription drugs infiltrating the nation’s water. “People were thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m drinking someone’s Prozac or antibiotic,’” he says. “But we put it into perspective for the lay person, which is good. News outlets were making it sound like people would get a growth on their neck by drinking tap water.”
Reaping benefits
Raising the public’s awareness of the water system is critical to its future, Brown says. City planners estimate the Portland metro area will grow by two million people in the next 20 to 25 years, imposing more demands on the 150-year-old system.
“We operate based on ratepayer resources,” Brown says. “In order to maintain, repair and expand the system, we’re charging people for something that falls from the sky for free. People are always concerned about costs, and if we aren’t adept at telling our story, then it’s difficult to go to the publicand ask for a 5- or 10-percent rate increase.”
Moreover, a well-educated public that understands the system’s needs is less opposed to major projects and improvements. That’s critical, because with prices rising for commodities like steel and oil, delays in starting new projects can increase their costs.
“By engaging the public, we let stakeholders have a say in what’s going on in their particular neighborhood or around their businesses,” Brown notes. “The more informed they are, the easier it is for us to do the work that’s necessary. We’ve seen what lack of engagement does to the body politic. It shuts down projects and causes ill will among residents. We want to avoid that at all costs.”
The department’s outreach goes far beyond the Internet. For instance, a recent extension of the city’s light rail system coincided with a large water line reconstruction project and could have created a public relations nightmare. But 18 months before the project started, the department went door-to-door to every business affected by the project — a 16-block area with more than 75 businesses. The department also held focus groups where representatives from those businesses could express their concerns.
In addition, instead of using typical construction fencing to block off the project work zones, the department designed messages printed on mesh screens that explained how the bureau’s Forest to Faucet water system works. (Water from Bull Run Lake, some 40 miles east of Portland, travels via the Bull Run River to reservoirs before it emerges as tap water in residents’ homes.)
Other screen-fencing sections explained things like water conservation, sustainability and infrastructure maintenance. “We looked at the fences as more than just a device to close off a gaping hole,” Brown says. “It was an opportunity to continue to let folks know about this wonderful resource. We believe that if you’re going to maintain a strong water system, then more people need to know about it than just the interested few. So we’re very aggressive about getting those messages out.”
Keep residents informed
The department also goes door-to-door in residential neighborhoods to alert people about construction projects. “We even notify people about a valve replacement,” Brown says. “We put notices on residents’ doors 48 hours ahead of time, telling them they’ll be without water for a period of time.
“The day before, we try to personally contact all the people affected so they’re prepared to find alternate water sources,” he says. “On occasion, we’ve even purchased bottled water, as well as groceries, for residents who can’t get out and do it themselves.”
Do these outreach efforts benefit the bureau? Absolutely. “Part of it is intuitive,” Brown says. “But city surveys show that in the last couple years, we’ve gone from an average of 40 percent approval rating (in support of water projects) to 64 percent. So we know our efforts are bearing fruit.” And seriously entertaining residents, too.
