AWWA COMMENT PERIOD ON AWWA G420, Communication and Customer Relations

AWWA COMMENT PERIOD ON AWWA G420, Communication and Customer Relations
July 29, 2024

AWWA solicits public comments on all proposed new AWWA Standards, and on all proposed revisions, reaffirmations, or withdrawals of existing AWWA Standards. The referenced standards project is being considered for approval and the publication of this notice begins the 45-day public comment period for AWWA and ANSI. An electronic public review copy of the proposed standard can be obtained for review during the comment period by emailing ETS Support (ETSsupport@awwa.org). Comments must be submitted in writing to the AWWA contact listed below no later than the last day of the comment period specified herein. Such comments shall be specific to the section(s) of the standard under review and include sufficient detail, so as to enable the reader to understand the commenter’s position, concerns and suggested alternative language, if appropriate.

AWWA Comment Period closes on September 16, 2024.

Send comments to:
Paul Olson, Polson@awwa.org
303.347.6178 phone

The review copy will be edited for publication and may also be revised as appropriate based on any comments received during the public comment period. Therefore, this copy is not suitable for continued utilization and is intended only for comment purposes.

Final publication of the standard may take several months. When it is available, a notice will be published in the official notice section of Journal – American Water Works Association. The standard becomes an effective AWWA standard on the first day of the month following such publication in Journal – American Water Works Association.

SCOPE
This standard covers the essential requirements to effectively manage communication and customer relations.

MAJOR REVISIONS
Major revisions made to the standard in this edition include the following:

1. Added general description of AWWA Utility Management Standards to the background section of the foreword. (Sec. I.A.)
2. Removed outdated social media definitions including “blog” and “message boards”. (Sec. 3)
3. Clarified recommended items to be included in a communication and customer relations plan. (Sec. 4.1.2)
4. Added notation on the importance of open external communications. (Sec. 4.2.1)
5. Added guidance on accessibility of external communication. (Sec. 4.2.4)
6. Added guidance on including appropriate training for employees. (Sec. 4.2.6)
7. Clarified requirements for internal communication plans. (Sec. 4.3.5)
8. Added reference to America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA) for regulatory guidance on emergency and crisis communication. (Sec. 4.4.1)
9. Clarified requirements for media to include in crisis communication plans. (Sec. 4.4.3)
10. Clarified recovery plan requirements for working with customers. (Sec. 4.5.6)
11. Added guidance for directing customers facing service termination to possible resources. (Sec. 4.6.9)
12. Clarified resources to be used in community education. (Sec. 4.8.2)
13. Clarified goals to be included in community education plans. (Sec. 4.8.4)
14. Clarified key elements of a social media plan. (Sec. 4.9.3)