Customer Outreach, Support, and Service
Communication and outreach are essential components of an effective transition to BBRs since customers will be most focused on understanding how their individual water budgets and data are determined, along with the financial repercussions of implementing BBRs on their water bills. Water agencies have developed a variety of tools and materials that help to educate customers about how their water budgets were established and how to read/understand their water bills. Also, agencies focused on how best to communicate BBRs through well-trained and sufficient customer service representatives providing consistent information and access to helpful materials. Agencies shared their outreach experiences and decisions in the case studies below.
| Coachella Valley Water District |
For three months before BBRs were implemented, CVWD put information and warnings on water bills to lessen the amount of confusion after implementation. |  |
| Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District |
EVMWD started early with notices in quarterly newsletters, bill inserts, and handouts. For 6 months around implementation, monthly notices were sent out and extra customer service staff was hired. EVMWD opted against shadow bills, but had a bill calculator with rate comparison online. |  |
| Irvine Ranch Water District | IRWD discussed best practices and suggestions for customer outreach, including test bills, site visits, dedicated communication hotline and/or email, and online resources. IRWD delayed BBR implementation (i.e., kept on uniform rates) for customers who couldn’t be reached, were actively working with staff to reduce high water use, or would have an extremely expensive BBR bill. IRWD also discussed internal training of staff. |
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| Las Virgenes Municipal Water District |
LVMWD sent a questionnaire to all single family residential customers 6 months before BBR implementation to ensure data was accurate and to get a head start on variance requests. The questionnaire asked about the number of residents, the irrigated area, and if additional water was needed for livestock or medical reasons. LVMWD provided a stamped envelope and allowed responses by mail, fax, email, phone, and in person. |  |
| Moulton Niguel Water District |
MNWD focused outreach on groups and governing bodies that could also influence and educate the public. MNWD leadership attended city council meetings and gave presentations and answered questions. Staff provided education and shadow bills to the Citizen Advisory Committee to enlist their support. |  |
| Rancho California Water District |
RCWD has a web-based application where customers can track their usage relative to their budget and also view projected water use. The application can notify customers via text if they reach a certain%age of their water budget. |  |
| Valencia Water Company | VWC underwent meter impact studies of residential and dedicated irrigation customers during BBR implementation that involved data collection and analysis. From the monthly analysis, VWC sent High Consumption Letters to customers who greatly exceeded their budgets |  |
| Western Municipal Water District |
WMWD held public workshops, sent out mailers, provided budget and variance estimates and examples, and conducted employee training. Temporary staff was also hired and contacts were provided for customer service, water use efficiency specialists, and a contacted vendor who could provide a free landscape evaluation. |  |
Rate or Allocation Calculators
Many California agencies have developed rate or allocation calculators to help customers understand their water budgets and associated costs »
| Eastern Municipal Water District |  |
| El Toro Water District |  |
| Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District |
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| Irvine Ranch Water District |  |
| Las Virgenes Municipal Water District |
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| Moulton Niguel Water District |  |