Drinking Water Week Community Recognition Award

The Minnesota Section American of the American Water Works Association (MN AWWA) announces a new opportunity for utilities and municipalities to earn prestige for their efforts in celebrating Drinking Water Week.

The new “Community Recognition Award” will be presented to a community that demonstrates creativity and outreach efforts to promote and celebrate Drinking Water Week, which is celebrated the first week in May. The winning community will be presented with the award during a community meeting or event, to maximize positive public recognition for the community. In addition, MN AWWA will send a press release to the local media to announce the community’s achievement, and will provide the community with a gift certificate to purchase products from the AWWA Bookstore.

The 2011 winner of the Community Recognition Award was presented to the City of Bloomington at the annual MN AWWA conference in Duluth, MN.

Consumer Information - visit Drink Tap

• Get information about your utility
• Facts & Statistics on Water and Water Usage
• Activities for kids
• And more!

Drinking Water Week

A safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of any community. It creates jobs, attracts industry and investment, and provides for the health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire suppression. We often take water supply for granted until it is threatened, either by drought, water main breaks, or some other event. For more than 30 years, the American Water Works Association and its members  have celebrated Drinking Water Week– a unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to join together to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives.

Check Out the 2011 Drinking Water Week Toolkit for ideas on how YOU can celebrate Drinking Water Week and download the tools & resources to make it happen!

Only Tap Water Delivers! Campaign

Only Tap Water Delivers is a grassroots and media campaign to help utilities and public officials communicate the value of tap water service and the need to reinvest in water infrastructure to consumers, media and other stakeholders. For more information, go to "only Tap Water Delivers!"

Utility Members:  Only Tap Water Delivers campaign materials are available for you to use, including:

• consumer handouts
• print ads for placement in local publications
• radio PSA’s
• campaign talking points
• campaign logos for web or print that you can customize with your utility information
• 5-minute video
• and more!

Public Officials Program

The AWWA Public Officials Program at AWWA's Annual Conference and Exhibition is designed for and by public officials, geared strictly for their interests as water/sewer board commissioners, mayors and councilpersons. This is the only program of its kind.

Public Communications Toolkit

Public communications is known by many names - public affairs, public information, public relations. It can be comprised of any combination of media relations, community outreach, crisis communication, customer relations, event planning, or risk communication, just to name a few aspects. But regardless of what you call it or how you do it, strategic public communication planning is becoming increasingly important.

AWWA’s Public Communications Toolkit contains all of AWWA's information on public communication, from talking points to Journal articles to presentations, all in one place for easy access. Check out the links to the left for the information you need.

Public Communications Achievement Award

Does your organization or an individual within it

• Foster and support the development of public outreach programs?
• Integrate public affairs as a core element of utility planning and management?

Then nominate them for the Public Communications Achievement Award, sponsored by AWWA’s Public Affairs Council.

Both individual and organizational awards are divided into three categories:

• Those serving fewer than 5,000 service connections.
• Those serving between 5,000 and 25,000 service connections.
• Those serving more than 25,000 service connections.

Best of the Best Taste Test

Each year at the AWWA Annual Conference, winners of AWWA Section taste tests compete for the title of "Best of the Best."

AWWA Press Room

AWWA press releases are prepared by the Communications Department. Visit the Press Room to view/download the most recent press releases, or to get information for members of the press covering AWWA and Section events.

AWWA Policy Statements

To view/download AWWA Policy Statements on public water supply matters, click here.