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reduce water usage or communicate restrictions to the public. Public trust <br />may deteriorate without consistent implementation of these restrictions. <br />1d. Plans should clearly document communication procedures. <br />The contingency plans prepared by DWS did not contain detailed <br />procedures for ensuring timely communications or notices to the public <br />during well failures. The plans did not include any why, when, who, or <br />how they would notify the public when water shortages or disruptions <br />occur. In addition, as mentioned above, there was no clear public <br />definition for implementing the different levels of water restriction <br />including what each restriction entailed. <br />When developing communications procedures, DWS should consider the <br />information that has the most impact to the public. For example, the San <br />Diego Water Shortage Contingency Plan (August 2017) describes their <br />...when there is a need for urgent water conservation, people <br />basically want to know the following-- <br />1. <br />ollowing: <br />1. What they need to do — specifically— to save water <br />2. How much water they need to save and for how long <br />3. Why they need to save water <br />4. What water agencies are doing to correct the supply <br />problem or address the situation <br />experience from previous droughts and public opinion polls: <br />Best practice examples clearly document their communication plans and <br />included the "why", "when", and "how" their communications will be <br />implemented to keep the public apprised of current situations. For <br />example, the Seattle Public Utilities Water Shortage Contingency Plan has <br />a "Public Message" template assigned to each plan stage. The San Diego <br />Water Shortage Contingency Plan contains a section titled <br />"Communication Plan" that outlines the coordination, key audiences, <br />communication objectives, and various strategies and tactics. Finally, the <br />Yucaipa Valley Water District Water Shortage Contingency Plan has <br />suggested communication actions for each stage including sample press <br />releases and suggests monthly billing reminders to conserve water. (See <br />Appendix A) <br />Department of Water Supply Contingency Plan Audit Results 110 <br />