Success Through Outreach: Lombard’s Strategy for Building Trust with Their Community

Background

In response to the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), the Village of Lombard, IL, was required to notify residents with lead, GRR, or unknown service lines. Anticipating a community reaction to these notifications, the Village proactively implemented a Customer Request Sampling Program to provide residents with an easy way to test their water for lead. This foresight not only helped address public concerns but also enabled the Village to collect valuable data to inform and prioritize their service line verification efforts.

Turning Notifications into Action

By leveraging 120Water’s Customer Request Sampling solution, the Village of Lombard ensured they were ready to handle a surge in sampling requests following customer notifications. The results were impressive:

• A 13:1 increase in water testing kit requests and a 19:1 increase in completed analyses for May and June 2024 compared to January–April.
• 127 sample kits shipped on behalf of the Village.

How Lombard Was Prepared

The Village’s proactive approach was built on three key elements:

A Ready-to-Deploy Customer Request Sampling Program

• Using 120Water’s platform and services, Lombard launched a seamless program for residents to request and return water sampling kits.
• Residents received clear instructions for sample collection, while results were processed efficiently and shared quickly through automated notifications.

Clear Communication and Outreach

• Notifications sent to residents with lead or unknown service lines included details on how to request a water test.
• Multichannel outreach—letters, postcards, and phone calls—helped educate residents, address concerns, and encourage participation.

Actionable Data for Verification Prioritization

• Sampling results provided critical data on lead levels within the system, helping Lombard prioritize service line verification and replacement efforts.
• Areas with elevated lead levels could be flagged for follow-up, ensuring resources were focused where they were needed most.

Why This Matters for Other Utilities

The Village of Lombard’s success highlights a critical lesson for water systems preparing for LCRR compliance: anticipating community reactions to lead service line notifications is essential, and having a customer request sampling program in place ensures a proactive response. By turning sampling results into actionable insights, utilities can prioritize service line verification and replacement efforts effectively. Additionally, providing residents with clear solutions empowers them to understand their water quality, fostering trust and transparency within the community.