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Sweetwater Authority approves public outreach contract amendment as agency readies PFAS testing updates
Summary
The Sweetwater Authority approved a contract amendment for public outreach related to PFAS testing and community engagement and heard a presentation on planned workshops and messaging. Board members emphasized transparency about testing results and how the phrase “safe to drink” will be framed.
The Sweetwater Authority on Jan. 22 approved an amendment to the authority's public outreach contract intended to fund communications and workshops about recent PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) testing and next steps.
The board approved the contract amendment in a unanimous vote after a presentation from consultant Jenny Wendell of JBW Communications, who outlined a three-part outreach plan including a community advisory working group, three community workshops (National City, Chula Vista and Bonita), and a broad web, social and media push to reach school districts, cities and other partners.
Wendell said the outreach will "establish Sweetwater as the most credible source of information on this issue" and will prioritize plain language, visuals and preferred channels so residents can understand testing results and next steps. She told the board the outreach team is tracking every touch point ' email, phone call or public comment ' so staff can gauge sentiment and follow up.
The presentation included planned educational materials, translation and accessibility accommodations and a schedule of public events starting the week of Jan. 28. Wendell said staff will explain preliminary test results in context, review recent EPA activity, and describe the agency's plan for ongoing testing and mitigation options.
Directors questioned how the authority will phrase the core public message. Director Cox said he supported a clear lead message but urged the board to tie that message to the factual caveat that the water "meets all current federal and state guidelines and requirements." "When we talk about wanting to build trust with the public," Cox said, "we owe it to stakeholders to be more forthcoming and transparent."
Director Yamani said the presentation team had prepared additional language to give that context and that the consultants would be briefed on how to answer technical questions live and follow up on items that need more detail.
The board vote followed discussion at the Finance & Administrative Committee. During that committee meeting, members described the amendment amount as "up to 258," a figure board members discussed during the Jan. 22 meeting; the contract amendment was approved by the board by unanimous roll call.
The consultant and authority staff said the outreach is intended to be iterative as additional testing data arrives over the coming year. The authority emphasized that outreach will explain testing results, potential mitigation approaches and that some long-term solutions could require significant investment.
The authority did not adopt any change in technical testing procedures as part of the approval; the action funded public education and engagement work only.
Board members asked staff to make sure consultants and presenters use consistent language in workshops and press materials so residents receive the same technical caveats and explanations at every event.
