Citizens' dialogue for Lake Constance water supply association

Providing top-quality drinking water at all times of the day and night for four million people in Baden-Württemberg - that is the mission of the Lake Constance water supply association. To ensure that this continues to be the case in the future, the special-purpose association is expanding the drinking water production facilities that have been in place for 60 years. The project is designed to last 15 years. Since fall 2019, we have been accompanying the seminal project "Source of the future. Water for Generations" on the shores of Lake Constance together with our partner agency Carta with comprehensive communication tasks in the area of citizen dialogue. Because such a large-scale construction project needs well-orchestrated project communication.

Objectives:

• Provide regular information to all key target groups to ensure transparency
• Explain complex issues and permitting procedures in an understandable way
• Listen and moderate citizen dialogue to foster mutual trust

Stakeholder mapping for dialogue at eye level

The project "Future Source. Water for Generations" is relevant for many different people: Residents, property owners, contacts from politics, authorities and associations from nature conservation, agriculture and recreation/water sports as well as tourists and, of course, all water consumers who receive their water from the Lake Constance water supply. In order to build understanding and acceptance for the project, systematic and early dialogue with all stakeholders is crucial. To this end, we researched all relevant issues and positions and established a systematic communication process on this basis. The goal: a successful dialogue on equal terms. 

Kick-off: Information cascades and dialogue and information events. 

In the following, we defined and implemented information cascades: Internal before external and those directly affected before the media and the public. We also prepared the content appropriately, from citizen-oriented to technically detailed, for all stakeholder groups. The core messages prepared in information materials helped contact persons from politics and associations to answer initial questions from interested parties. The website also provides a Q&A with the all important questions and answers. 

In addition to the planning and target-group-specific information, the personal conversation with the association’s experts is still the most important element in explaining the reasons for the project to local residents. To this end, we held an information market on the association’s site in Sipplingen on Lake Constance in July 2020. With a sophisticated hygiene concept, masks and distance requirements, the experts were available to answer visitors' questions in a tent distributed over various thematic islands. Thanks to schematically prepared maps, posters with an overview and detailed information as well as video recordings, visitors were also able to inform themselves independently.

Project progress: Continuous process communication

After the initial communication, perseverance is required: Stakeholders want to be kept up to date on the progress of the project. We ensure this with continuous process communication. This is done via the website, announcements in the local newsletter, regular letters and, if necessary, mailings, telephone calls or personal discussions. Providing transparent project support is our main aim here.