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<br />'\ " <br /> <br />public. The District accomplished this through the brochure distributed with the notice <br />of the Fall 1994 water users' meeting, and the "Waternews" articles. These more basic <br />materials always included the name and phone number of a contact person with the <br />District, for those readers who wished to go beyond the basic information they had <br />received. <br /> <br />In addition to the form of materials used, the issue arises as to how to ensure that <br />the content is getting across to the potentially affected public. In this connection, it <br />should be noted that one of the benefits of interactive contacts is that they provide an <br />opportunity to gauge the level of understanding of a new concept, to identify areas of <br />information that may not have been clearly conveyed, and to correct misunderstandings. <br /> <br />Interruptible supply contracts are a new concept to most people. Although the <br />basic idea is relatively simple, actual implementation in a real-world situation is more <br />complicated. Because water transfers in general are a politically charged issue, it may be <br />difficult to convey accurate information to a concerned and skeptical public. It was clear <br />here that some commenters who expressed opposition to the use of interruptible supply <br />contracts were reacting less to this type of contract than to the general issue of water <br />transfers out of agricultural use. Interruptible supply contracts were, in some cases, a <br />vehicle for commenters to express larger fears regarding such matters as population <br />growth or disappearance of the rural way of life. <br /> <br />In the context of this project, the District has attempted to respond to these <br />broader concerns by clarifying the nature of interruptible supply contracts and <br />emphasizing both the limited nature of transfers under such contracts and their role in <br />helping to keep water in agricultural use. However, it is clear that additional public <br />information efforts will be needed to accomplish this goal. <br /> <br />8 <br />