Enhancing the Pure Water San Diego Community Outreach Program: A Partnership with the University of San Diego

The City of San Diego (City) is implementing Pure Water San Diego (Pure Water), a phased, multi-year potable reuse program that will provide one-third of San Diego’s water supply locally by 2035. Due to misconceptions about potable reuse, a comprehensive outreach and education program is a key component of the Pure Water Program.In fall of 2014 and 2015 and spring of 2016, the City invited University of San Diego (USD) students to participate in a hands-on effort to help enhance the City’s public outreach strategy. The students worked in teams to develop communication tools such as videos, infographics, social media hashtags, and additional communication recommendations targeting young adults, mothers and multicultural communities. This manuscript provides an overview of the successful partnership, along with the research results and outreach recommendations.