Macon Water Authority

The Macon Water Authority’s history can be traced back to 1880, when the Macon Gas Light and Water Company created a system that provided pressurized water for downtown Macon businesses. Soon after, the company installed fire hydrants in and near the area, and it continued to increase in size and complexity throughout the following century to deliver water to more communities.

The Macon Gas Light and Water Company laid the groundwork for the 1973 creation of the Macon-Bibb County Water and Sewerage Authority, an independent and public utility whose mission was and still is to treat and distribute the highest quality of water to people throughout Macon and Bibb County.

Today, the MWA water distribution system has:

• 1,425 miles of water mains and service lines
• 51,000+ metered accounts
• More than 155,000 customers
• 250 miles of interceptor sewers
• 977 miles of sanitary sewer lines, serving over 45,000 customers

Macon Soils, a subsidiary of the Authority, handles the recycling of biosolids from wastewater treatment at the Authority’s water reclamation facilities, distributing these by-products to area farmers for agricultural purposes.

While the Macon Water Authority is unique in that, as a public utility, it does not require a marketing plan or ad strategy, our agency has partnered with MWA for years, providing marketing for a water authority to ensure clear, effective communication with customers and audiences. M&R Marketing has created many water authority marketing solutions, including designing Popular Annual Financial Reports (PAFRs), Consumer Water Quality Reports, newsletters, murals, and so much more.

But in 2022, MWA decided it was time to better serve its customers by redesigning its website. At the time, the water authority’s site was visually and functionally outdated and was becoming increasingly difficult to update on MWA’s end. Plus, it was not user-friendly and caused frustration among customers and site visitors.

While MWA did not need a site with many advanced features, they did need one that could house many resources and lots of information while remaining easily navigable.

Our designers, developers, and writers came together to analyze MWA’s website, evaluating the sitemap and the user experience from the homepage to the contact page. It was important to strategically think through the menu and create one that visitors could easily navigate to find the needed pages or information.

Ultimately, we structured, designed, and developed a 56-page water authority website, all with information accuracy and user-friendliness as the two primary focuses.

Macon Water Authority’s website had to meet three essential criteria:

• Creating an improved solution for customers to easily access their accounts, pay their bills, and understand all their charges and payment options.
• Creating an improved solution for contractors, vendors, and others to view and submit bids.
• Creating an improved solution for the MWA to relay important and regularly updated information to the public.

In addition to a new, modernized website, M&R has provided and continues to provide additional marketing solutions to the Macon Water Authority, including:

The Website

MWA’s website, www.maconwater.org, now makes it easier for customers to create accounts, pay bills, discover relevant information, and more. It also streamlines contractor bidding processes by allowing the Authority to post bid opportunities and provide project details directly on the site. Overall, the new site presents a more organized, friendly, and aesthetically pleasing informational structure.

Murals and Posters

Our most recent mural is located at MWA’s Second Street location, the Albert Billingslea Administration Building, and visually explains the water collection, treatment, and distribution process. Visitors stopping by to pay their bills or speak with a representative can view the mural and easily understand the various processes that Macon’s water goes through.

We have also provided MWA with effective posters, including our water fountain posters, which are installed in schools across Bibb County. The posters aim to encourage students to keep their reusable water bottles filled with Macon water. The posters show the many beneficial effects water consumption has on the body.

Consumer Information Pieces

Since 2015, M&R and Macon Water Authority have partnered to provide well-designed PAFRs, Consumer Water Quality Reports, and other pieces that communicate important information to customers and audiences. Our designs help guide readers through complex, content-heavy reports and print pieces, making the information presented easier to visually consume and digest.