DEQ Survey Shows High Trust, low Exposure
Reaching Out to ‘Put a Face to DEQ’

 

Taking a cue from a recent survey, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is reaching out to local leaders now more than ever in an attempt to highlight issues and services.

At the Utah League of Cities and Towns’ fall conference in September, DEQ is presenting three sessions on air, land and water to provide an opportunity to share information about the environmental issues facing Utah.

“To be able to reach out and communicate with local officials is really important,” said Rick Sprott, executive director of DEQ. “DEQ is always striving to improve its coordination with local officials and stakeholders.”

The latest outreach effort is the brainchild of a DEQ Leadership Group, a handpicked group of employees who participated in a two-year program that prepares them for leadership roles.

“The 2007 Legislative Session, in which lawmakers weren’t entirely clear on DEQ’s programs, prompted us to come up with the idea of the need to do a better job of putting a face to DEQ,” said Karin Tatum, an engineer with the Division of Drinking Water and member of the Leadership Group.

The group enlisted the help of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, with the assistance of Bill Damery, a Water Quality scientist who works closely with the League, to survey at least one representative from each of Utah’s 243 cities and towns. A total of 2,506 surveys were sent to municipal, county, and special service district employees, to find out just how much they know about DEQ and whether their interactions with the agency have been positive.

“The survey was an attempt to determine general awareness of DEQ issues, programs and customer service,” said Morgan Atkinson, scientist with the Division of Environmental Response and Remediation and member of the Leadership Group.

Of those who responded 322 – or 13 percent – indicated a high level of trust and confidence in DEQ, but over two-thirds of the respondents have had little interaction with the agency.

“In general, the survey showed that Utahns seem to take environmental quality for granted,” said Jeff Studenka, a scientist with the Division of Water Quality and member of the Leadership Group. “’Please keep trying to educate us,’ was one of the many comments received from the survey.”

Survey takers said their top issues are drinking water, wastewater disposal, air quality and energy efficiency. Even so, many were unfamiliar with DEQ’s programs.

“After the survey, we recognized the need to be proactive versus reactive,” Studenka said. “In looking ahead we hope to continue our partnership with the Utah League of Cities and Towns and the Utah Association of Counties to have a consistent presence and quality customer service.”

The League’s fall conference is just a start. For more information on the conference, visit www.ulct.org.

“I’m encouraged that the survey showed us at the high end of the spectrum when it came to those who have had an interaction with us,” noted Sprott. “And, it’s through these kinds of outreach efforts that will help expose what we do with those unfamiliar with us.”

Walt Baker, director of Water Quality who mentored the group through its project, praised the efforts. “These are our future leaders. I’m delighted to have worked with all of them.”

The other members of this group include Kevin Hart of the Air Monitoring Center and Dale Jorgensen, budget officer for DEQ.