By Kristin Withrow, CSDA Communications Specialist
Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD) was awarded the CSDA 2024 Exceptional Public Outreach & Advocacy award for a large district for their extensive efforts shaping water policy, advocating for their community and collaborating with regional partners. Over the past several years, the district counts among its accomplishments ongoing work with the nine water and wastewater agencies that make up the North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition that will result in an estimated regional water reuse of 11 billion gallons annually when all components of the projects are complete. Under the umbrella of the coalition, OMWD has successfully secured grants for the region from the U.S Bureau of Reclamation totaling $30 million, in addition to funding secured from the California Department of Water Resources’ Integrated Regional Water Management Program in support of collaborative water management to increase self-reliance totaling $4.95 million. They’ve expanded recycled water infrastructure, participated in a feasibility study of brackish groundwater desalination, developed strong relationships with legislators and policymakers along multiple government levels, participated in a legislative proposal to amend the California public contracting system to modernize the Public Contract Code for water agencies and infrastructure development, served as educators to inform policymakers on the need to invest in water infrastructure improvements and development of water supplies, and responded to calls for action from statewide agencies including those from CSDA’s advocacy team and the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). Their list of projects and accomplishments extends beyond that which we have space for in this magazine.
The district does not have a dedicated public relations staff member. Nor do they have a dedicated legislative affairs position. How can a local water district that relies on a dedicated team of administrative staff accomplish so much?
Coordination
OMWD General Manager Kimberly Thorner says the secret sauce starts with coordination between the staff and the Board of Directors through annual guidance and feedback reports to establish goals and objectives along with clear policy directives and strategic planning. In addition, an ad hoc board committee is available for guidance throughout the year as needed.
“Every year, our board updates and approves our legislative guidelines for the next full year,” explained Thorner. “It shows us, for example, Olivenhain will oppose any legislation or regulation that increases the cost of service, or it will show us which things the district will support. It's a very hefty document, but it gives us critical direction in December of every year.”
With guidance from the top down, the staff can respond nimbly to action items and legislative trends as well as ensuring they are advocating at the appropriate levels for priority items on behalf of their district and the region. The feedback circle is complete when the staff presents their annual report highlighting progress and accomplishments to the board.
Collaboration
One of the key ways OMWD stretches the reach of their seven-person team is to collaborate regionally and statewide. They collaborate with the statewide California Water for All Coalition, they rely on ACWA and CSDA’s advocacy calls to action to determine issue alignment and to guide the amount of time they devote to issue areas. Taking advantage of opportunities to sign on to support or oppose letters eases the burden on district staff because they know the association is representing their opinion when providing legislative testimony.
In addition, OMWD utilizes the services of Nossaman LLC to provide specific legal counsel and represent the district in legislative affairs that are most important to the district.
“We have found we can access so much more with many different minds focused on an issue, and that helps us decide what we are going to narrowly tailor and spend our energy on,” explained Thorner.
They also maintain close relationships with legislators, most recently on their water loss minimization strategies. Through that work, the relationships evolve into being able to provide subject matter expertise when legislators need to learn more about issues coming before them.
“Once we’ve established a rapport with local legislators, it’s easy to keep those relationships going,” Thorner said. “They tend to come back to us to seek opinions or even advice on future water issues.”
Communication
The glue that holds it all together is communication between all the people, issues, collaborators, coalitions and partners involved throughout the year. That begins with the direction and guidelines from the board, continues in the stated goals and objectives designed to keep activities on track, is ongoing to guide and monitor legislative outreach, and rounds out in an annual report back to the board.
Thorner credits OMWD Customer Services Manager John Carnegie’s efforts to keep things smoothly on track with weekly meetings with the team who are primary communicators in areas of public relations, conservation, education, outreach and grants in addition to responding to customer needs. The staff wears many hats as they accomplish their objectives, and Carnegie is the conduit through which much of the communication flows.
Culture
OMWD celebrates its 65th year of service to the community this year. It’s clear the district has developed a culture of service, teamwork, collaboration and engagement with their community, their regional partners and policymakers. High-functioning team members who have a ‘can-do’ attitude and a desire to learn, create and grow are what make the difference at Olivenhain Municipal Water District.
CSDA congratulates Olivenhain Municipal Water District on receiving the 2024 Exceptional Public Outreach & Advocacy Award for a Large District.