New Year, "New" District: Mesa Water Adopts New Name, Logo

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

To raise recognition and relationships among its key audiences, Mesa Water District (Mesa Water) begins 2013 with a big branding bang by renaming the organization Mesa Water District, with “Mesa Water” for short, and by launching a new logo and look. The new logo features waterfall-type waves in two clear blue colors representing the “M” and “W” of Mesa Water, replacing the angular and reflective blue and green “M” and “W” in the previous iteration. Additional symbolism exists in Mesa Water's new logo that tells the story of the District's past, present, and future.

“While it will always be an important part of Mesa Water's history, the word ‘consolidated' in the organization's name became nonessential as it referred to an event that took place when the District was formed more than 50 years ago, which almost nobody remembers today,” says Mesa Water's Board President, James R. Fisler. He continues, “Shortening the organization's name makes it more memorable, relevant, and user-friendly for our key audiences to recognize, relate to, and refer to the District, thus contributing to the Board's strategic plan goal of increasing public awareness of Mesa Water and water in general.”

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Formerly known as the Costa Mesa County Water District, the District was renamed Mesa Consolidated Water District in 1978 to pay tribute to its initial formation in 1960 that resulted from consolidating the city of Costa Mesa's Water Department, Fairview County Water District, Newport Heights Irrigation District, and Newport Mesa County Water District.

In addition to freshening up the name of the now 53-year-old District, Mesa Water has adopted a new logo and look that is being consistently implemented across all applications. Previously, many variations of Mesa Water's old logo and name existed, which caused confusion among its customers, community and industry members, media, and even employees. In fact, a recent survey of Mesa Water service area residents found that less than 30 percent of respondents could correctly identify the District by its proper name when asked who provides their tap water; another 30 percent could only identify a variant of the organization's name.

ONE LOOK, ONE VOICE

Through implementing an improved "one look, one voice" for the District's name and logo -- and by incorporating clear, concise, and consistent communications -- Mesa Water hopes to engage its constituents with educational, entertaining, and interesting information that will inspire water- and resource-preserving behavior for the area's current and future sustainability. Mesa Water believes it is important for the public to know who provides their tap water for the following reasons:

• Recognition – Mesa Water's community members and customers need to know to contact the District about their water service—to begin/end service, to report water leaks or waste, to understand water quality, rates, and more. This is especially important during emergencies, such as natural disasters, when people must know how to reach their water provider for information regarding tap water safety and reliability.
• Relationships – Mesa Water offers many added value services for its water users to save water, money, and the environment! By knowing Mesa Water is their tap water provider, businesses, property owners, residents, workers, and visitors can benefit from the District's water-, cost-, and environment-saving solutions. Furthermore, Mesa Water offers water education programs for students and adults in its service area.
• Reputation – Mesa Water is committed to transparency and the open government process. For this reason, Mesa Water feels it is important to communicate how the District benefits its service area, the region, and the government and water industries, with the following positive impacts:
  • High-quality, safe, and 100 percent locally reliable tap water that is affordable (one cent for 2½ gallons of water);
  • Perpetual water infrastructure renewal with state-of-the-art technology;
  • Operational efficiency as one of Orange County's most efficient water providers, based on a recent comparison of OC water agencies' annual expenditures per capita;
  • Financial strength as a AAA-rated independent special district with no unfunded liabilities and no tax subsidies;
  • Commitment to water awareness with award-winning communications campaigns;
  • Pledge to providing a positive, professional, productive work environment for employees to perform at the highest levels;
  • Devotion to providing excellent customer service, with 90 percent of the District's customers satisfied with Mesa Water's service and water quality;
  • Environmental stewardship by reducing Mesa Water's energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon footprint by meeting 100 percent of its water demand with local supplies; and,
  • Dedication to water use efficiency by having one of the lowest water loss rates among North American water agencies, in addition to Mesa Water's service area being one of the region's top water-conservers…with no mandatory rationing!

About Mesa Water District (Mesa Water)

Founded on January 1, 1960, and governed by a publicly elected five-member Board of Directors, Mesa Water is an AAA-rated independent special district that provides water service to more than 110,000 customers in an 18-square-mile area. Mesa Water serves most of Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach, and some unincorporated areas of Orange County including John Wayne Airport. Dedicated to satisfying the community's water needs, Mesa Water is now 100 percent locally reliant due to the District's improved Mesa Water Reliability Facility (MWRF) returning to service in 2012. For more information, visit www.MesaWater.org, email info@MesaWater.org, or call (949) 631-1201.