Denver Water: Scaling Engagement for a Citywide Lead Reduction Program
When Denver Water launched its 15-year Lead Reduction Program, the utility faced a significant communications challenge: how to educate hundreds of thousands of residents on minimizing potential lead exposure, reinforcing safe water practices, and understanding what to expect during service line replacement.
Traditional town halls could not reach the scale required.
To expand access and modernize its outreach, Denver Water implemented Broadnet’s Access Live to host live virtual community meetings that meet residents where they are – connecting directly by landlines or mobile phones while simultaneously broadcasting a video stream of presenters and visual resources online in real time.
since 2020:
- Hosted 41 live virtual community meetings, with 39 Spanish-language simulcasts
- Placed nearly 400,000 calls to residents across Denver
- Met residents where they are – by phone and live video stream – to educate, answer questions, and build trust around the Lead Reduction Program
Events ranged from targeted neighborhood sessions reaching a few thousand households to citywide meetings connecting with more than 40,000 households at once.
Sustained Engagement for a Multi-Year Infrastructure Initiative
Through Access Live, Denver Water established a repeatable digital engagement framework to support its Lead Reduction Program. By combining direct outreach, multi-format participation, bilingual broadcasts, moderated Q&A, and live polling, Denver Water transformed complex infrastructure updates into accessible, two-way conversations.
The series of events has featured hosts ranging from Denver Water’s lead program managers to water quality experts and construction leaders, who addressed resident questions about individual property impacts, water testing results, filter replacement guidance, and construction restoration concerns.
ACROSS THE SERIES:
- A total of 774 resident questions were submitted through the live phone Q&A queue, with 207 brought on air and addressed during the events. An additional 2,200 questions were submitted online.
- Every event included a live video stream – and nearly 1 in 3 video users submitted a question, proving residents came to participate, not just watch.
- Reminder calls were made ahead of each event to ensure residents were aware and prepared to join – increasing day-of participation.
- Thousands of live poll responses measured awareness and filter usage, providing immediate feedback that helped Denver Water reinforce critical safety guidance and identify areas for additional education.
- Language access was built into nearly every event through Spanish-language simulcasts, ensuring that critical public health guidance reached diverse communities.
Denver Water has partnered with Broadnet since 2020 to host virtual community meetings for customers enrolled in our Lead Reduction Program. Broadnet has supported the execution of multiple meetings each year attended by thousands of customers. We use the advanced call-outs to customers, Q&A screening, and live polling features to run more efficient and informative engagement events.”
–Denver Water
When transparency and trust matter, scalable engagement does too.
Discover how Broadnet’s Access Live helps public agencies connect with communities in real time. Email [email protected] to learn more.
