Communications Camp 2025
Participants in Communication Camp 2023 in Bend, OR
2025 Communications Camp: The Science of Water Communications
8:30 - 5:00 | Thursday, October 23, 2025
Vancouver Water Resource Center
4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661
$190 PNCWA Members | $205 Non-Members
Earn 0.6 CEUs (WA, ID, OR), pending approval
Lunch, coffee, and snacks included.
Communications Camp will include a tour of the City of Vancouver Water Resources Education Center and Vancouver’s Marine Park Water Reclamation Facility, as well as presentations on ADA website language and access requirements, a case study on communicating wastewater capital projects, and education K-12 student programs, among other topics.
The Communications Camp is a one-day specialty conference designed to enhance water communication, improve communication skills, and effectively utilize trade tools.
Proceeds from the Communications Camp go towards PNCWA’s Adopt-a-School grant program, managed by the Communications and Outreach Committee, which funds K-12 educational projects focused on water and the environment.
Agenda
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8:30-8:45
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Check-In & Registration |
| 8:45-9:00 |
Welcome & Introductions |
| 9:00-9:30 |
How Well Do You Know Water
Loralyn Spiro, City of Springfield & Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission; PNCWA Communication & Outreach Committee Chair
This interactive game will test attendees on their knowledge of the world of water and provide everyone with an opportunity to get to know each other.
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9:30-10:15
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Clack-A-Mole: Creatively Communicating Water and Wastewater Capital Projects
Todd Loggan and Alexa Morris, Clackamas Water Environment Services
Clean Water Services will share its efforts to create more accessible and equitable communications for all ratepayers. We will discuss how water agencies can create an ADA-accessible PDF, what to include in your social media captions, and what we have learned from providing professionally translated Spanish materials.
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| 10:15-10:30 |
Morning Break |
| 10:30-11:15 |
Accessible Communications: How Clean Water Services is Navigating ADA and Language Access
Ellen Gordon and Harvey Cumez-Chali, Clean Water Services
Clean Water Services will share its efforts to create more accessible and equitable communications for all ratepayers. We will discuss how water agencies can create an ADA-accessible PDF, what to include in your social media captions, and what we have learned from providing professionally translated Spanish materials..
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| 11:15-12:00 |
Why Color Theory Matters to Your Water Agency's Education Programs and Community Engagement
Loralyn Spiro, City of Springfield & Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission; PNCWA Communication & Outreach Committee Chair
Color theory is an art and design principle that encompasses the ideas, principles, and applications of color, and includes three elements: the color wheel, color harmony, and color application or context. While all three are essential, color harmony is the most important to be considered by communicators for its complexity due to our responses to color being both emotional and intellectual. Water Agencies and communicators need to keep this in mind when branding or rebranding their agency. Discover how color can effectively communicate your agency’s mission, vision, values, and overall story to community members, differentiate your education programs, and strengthen engagement.
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| 12:00-1:00 |
Catered Lunch and Networking
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| 1:00-3:00 |
Go With the Flow: Tour of the Water Resources Education Center and Wastewater Treatment Plan
Kristin Smith, Suzanne Hebert, Frank Dick, and Ashley Conley, City of Vancouver Public Works
Join staff from the City of Vancouver’s Public Works Department to tour the Water Resources Education Center, hear about Pacific Lamprey restoration efforts and future exhibit improvement plans, and tour the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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| 3:00-3:15 |
Afternoon Break |
| 3:15-4:00 |
The Water Center's EcoEngineers and Student Watershed Monitoring Network Programs
Suzanne Hebert and Rainy Rau, City of Vancouver's Public Works
Learn about the Water Center’s newest and oldest programs for engaging the community with hands-on, interactive techniques that teach K-12 students about water, watersheds, and our public utilities.
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| 4:00-4:30 |
Water Communication- 20 Ideas in 20 Minutes, or More!
All Attendees
Does your water agency have an exciting new education program, has found an effective way to outreach to and connect with niche groups in your community, or a long-standing communication practice that has proven to be tried and true? Please share lessons learned, best practices, and more with other attendees!
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| 4:30-4:45 |
Feedback & Wrap-Up
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| 5:30-7:30 |
Happy Hour and Networking at McMenamins on the Columbia
1801 SE Columbia Drive in Vancouver
Join fellow attendees for hors d'oeuvres and beverages while networking along the beautiful Columbia to extend the learning and connecting!
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