9 Essential Website Features for Water Utility Special Districts

Water utility special districts are instrumental to residents’ quality of life. Whether ensuring a clean water supply, upholding conservation efforts, or maintaining efficient wastewater services, these government entities make an impact for their communities every day.

Given the importance of water utility special districts, having a website to improve interactions with residents is crucial. The right website can increase transparency and service efficiency by providing easy access to information and online services. It can also support public education on conservation, promote community engagement, and build trust among residents with a modern, accessible, user-friendly interface.

Wondering if your water utility special district’s website is doing enough to serve your community? Read on to learn about the nine most important features for your district’s site.

1. Online Bill Payment

Residents are accustomed to carrying out digital transactions for practically everything, from shoes to mortgage payments. Water bills should be no different. By providing an easy-to-use payment portal integrated with your website, your special district can reduce the need for physical mail and in-person visits. Not only does this make things more convenient for your community, it also saves resources, and you’re more likely to receive payments on time. Make sure to prioritize security for online payments to keep residents’ financial and contact information private.

2. Water Usage Data

When you provide residents with data on their water usage, it can help them understand their usage patterns and empower them to identify potential leaks or other issues. This can ultimately lead to community members taking action to save resources.

3. Service Outages and Updates

With real-time information about service interruptions, maintenance schedules, and restoration times, residents can be better informed about water supply issues and adjust their plans accordingly. This helpful information can increase your community’s satisfaction with your special district.

4. Water Quality Reports

Regularly updated reports on the quality of your water supply promotes transparency and builds trust among residents. Knowing that water quality is being monitored and they can visit your website to get the latest updates at any time reassures residents about the safety of their drinking water.

5. Conservation Tips and Resources

When you provide information on how to conserve water, it helps to promote sustainable usage among residents. Be sure to include useful tips along with resources for residents who want to explore further.

6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

By posting a well-maintained FAQ section to your site, you can quickly direct community members with common queries to the answers they’re looking for instead of having them go through your department directly. This saves time for residents and spares staff from having to answer the same questions repeatedly.

7. Contact Information

It’s important to provide contact information for your special district in a clear, easily accessible way on your website. Ideally, residents would be able to find what they’re looking for online without having to reach out — but when residents they’re left wondering how to reach you, it only leads to frustration.

8. Community Engagement

Your website should always contain information about any community events, educational programs, and opportunities for public involvement you have planned. This helps increase awareness for initiatives that foster a sense of community and stewardship.

9. Accessibility

Any government entity needs to maintain a website that is accessible for all users, regardless of their ability level. Not only is this a legal requirement, it ensures that everyone in your community can access important, publicly-available information related to water usage and utilities.

Make Redesigning Your Water Utility Website Fast and Easy

Understanding that every district is unique, CivicPlus® has built scalable website management services to fit the needs of communities with populations from 1,000 to 1,000,000. Download your free copy of our Website Redesign Tool Kit now to help you plan your next website project. Learn more about CivicPlus’s Special Districts Product.