Transparency and access to key utility information are vital for public trust, accountability, good governance, and confidence in leadership. By quantifying and assessing utilities Communications, Waterworks Excellence seeks to encourage water utility leaders to consider public communication a strategic imperative and a core element of their utilities’ overall performance. In the 21st century, effective communications depend principally on “e-governance”: access to information via the Internet, mobile devices, and social media. These media present new challenges, but also opened up new opportunities for communicating with the public.

WE Communications grades reflect two constructs: transparency and interactivity. Transparency relates to the type of information and accessibility of that information, while interactivity relates to how much a utility interacts with and provides opportunities for the public to interact with their water utility.

Utilities earned credit for transparency with the presence of a website, the use of social media, and by providing various information online in multiple languages. Waterworks Excellence awards interactivity credit to utilities that give customers the ability to pay bills online and that provide information on how the public could contact them via telephone, email, social media, and/or public meetings.

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