OMB Appendix E Cover letter initial survey mailing

S eptember 13 2009

[Date]

[Inside Address Line 1]

[Inside Address Line 2]

[Inside Address Line 3]

CDC Water and Health Study

Dear [Customer Name]:

I am writing to ask for your help with a study about your household’s water use and overall health.

[Utility Name] and other utilities around the country have volunteered to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the CDC Water and Health Study. You have been selected at random from a list of water utility customers in your area. Because this study asks about your experiences in the last three weeks, it will be easiest if you respond right away while recent events are still fresh in your mind.

U.S. tap water is one of the safest and healthiest drinking water supplies in the world. To keep it as safe and healthy as possible, we want to know how people use their tap water, and how water use affects health. The goal of this study is to understand water use and whether water use habits are linked to common illnesses. Your feedback will be combined with information from customers of other water utilities around the country.

Feedback from each and every household we invite to participate is needed to give us the best understanding of everyone’s experiences.

You can fill out the survey in one of two ways:

1. Paper – fill out the enclosed paper survey and send it back to us in the envelope provided. We have already paid for the postage.

2. Internet – go to the following website: http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/study.html

Type in your personal passcode [enter passcode] to begin the survey.

Sincerely,

Julia Gargano, PhD

Epidemiologist/Study Lead

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[email protected]

P.S. The survey should take about 12 minutes to complete, and your response is very valuable! As a token of our appreciation, please enjoy the enclosed calendar magnet. For your convenience, the 3-week period of interest referred to in the survey is highlighted on the calendar with removable tape.