TWCA Annual Convention 2020

1. PFAS- Fort Worth’s Approach
Fort Worth Water Utility
Stacy Walters and Mary Gugliuzza
March 6, 2020 1

2. Agenda
• Background
• What is PFAS
• PFAS Exposures
• PFAS Sampling/Testing
• Risk Communication
• Lessons Learned
2

3. About Fort Worth
• 13th Largest city in
nation
• Population estimate
848,860
• Operate water,
wastewater, reclaimed
and biosolids programs
3

5. 5

6. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
6

7. 7

8. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
8

9. PFAS Sampling Recommendations
9

10. PFAS – UCMR3
• Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
• Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
• Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
• Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
• Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
• Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
10

11. 11

12. A long time ago, engaging the public was easy.

13. Has your utility been hiding in plain sight?

14. 500 million
stories
daily per
platform

15. Discovered
that when
fear is
present,
people
process
information
differently.

16. The CAP
Template
Demonstrates
Caring Concern

17. CARING
•I understand
your concern
about children’s
health and lead
in drinking
water.
ACTIONS
• Our utility has an
extensive
treatment and
monitoring
program to
ensure the water
we produce and
deliver protects
your family from
the risks of lead
in drinking water.
PERSPECTIVE
•Our community
water meets
every EPA
drinking water
standard.

18. Message
Development:
The 27-9-3
Rule

19. Be First.
Be Most
Often.
Be Loudest.

20. 7 Key Tips for Managing
Social Media Event
1. Have a plan
2. Respond quickly
3. Human voice
4. Take responsibility, if applicable
5. Be visible!
6. Pause all scheduled posts
7. Internal team on same page
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

21. Social Media Don’ts
Wait and see
Engage with customer extensively on
the platform
Respond in “corporate speak”
Repeat generic responses
Take comments personally
Ignore the issue
Delete negative comments
“Set it and forget it”
Ignore
Social Media Do’s
Respond quickly
Take the conversation offline
Use a human tone; express empathy
Tailor responses to comment
Assume good intent
Look into the issue quickly; post
resolution
Allow negative comments to be posted
Monitor all your comments
Thank positive commenters

22. Engage the Public in
Person
• Be ready to receive angst
• Let them know you are
listening
• Share benefits
• Share who is watching
• Increase perceived control
• Be ready for the long-haul

23. Assess After the Crisis
• Learn from experience
• Debrief with team
• The incident will live on
• Focus on positive
• Continue your presence
• Rebuild trust