Date & Time
Thursday, May 16, 2024, 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Name
Providing More Access: Virtual Tours Help Serve a Large & Diverse Service Area
Description

The CAPIO audience will be introduced to two virtual tours of the Water Replenishment District’s (WRD) water purification facility and learn how they might make their own. Furthermore, using WRD’s service area demographics as a case study, the audience learns why the district board members invested in the virtual options and sees the outreach methods that WRD uses to market its in-person programming and virtual offerings. WRD is a groundwater management agency that serves a large and diverse service area in southern Los Angeles County. With a service area boundary of 420 square-miles that runs from the coast to the mountain foothills, and includes 43 cities with a total of 4 million residents, WRD has the challenge and the opportunity to reach a vast array of audiences. For example, about 50% of the residents in WRD’s service area live in disadvantaged or severely disadvantaged communities, while other cities in the service area have median household incomes of 0,000. WRD’s flagship facility, the Albert Robles Center for Water Recycling and Environmental Learning (ARC), features an advanced water purification facility, a museum-grade bilingual learning center, and a one-acre demonstration garden. The entire facility is designed to increase water literacy and stewardship among the public and educate stakeholders about water resources and green infrastructure. The ARC facility welcomes over 2,500 students and stakeholders each year. However, with a large and diverse service area, WRD seeks to reach as many of its constituents by offering two virtual tours. Participants will see demos and learn how to pursue creating their own virtual tours. -https://arc360.wrd.org -Story Map at www.wrd.org/arc WRD uses multiple avenues of outreach to market its in-person and online programming including printed and digital newsletters or advertisements, community events, social media, and partnerships. The presentation includes different outreach methods for different audiences.

Jennifer Swart
Location Name
Valencia V/VI