Abstract
The effectiveness of water policies depends upon the behavioral features of users and factors influencing these processes. Behavioral changes such as a reduction in watering the lawns, reducing water pressure, and taking shorter showers can be used to design policies that can be effective. However, the most impactful changes come from technological modifications, including faucet aerators, water-efficient showerheads and washing machines, dual-flush toilets, and outdoor technology such as automatic sprinkler systems. A survey of households in Amherst, Hadley, and Northampton, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA, is used to measure such behavioral changes as well as technological adoptions along an urbanizing gradient. Objectives of this study are as follows: to assess developments under current and anticipated water conservation strategies in households along an urban gradient, to evaluate the preferences and motivating factors of individuals, and to determine how individuals value their water. Statistical modeling is used to analyze the household survey using several dependent variables, including conservation efforts and willingness to pay. Independent variables included location, economic, and demographic information. Results indicate that those with a higher income are likely to have more water-saving tools indoors and are willing to pay more than those with lower incomes. Age influenced total current conservation adoptions, while metering of water consumption is also significantly related to the indoor adoption of current technology and willingness to pay (WTP) for water infrastructure.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Kampragou E, Lekkas DF, Assimacopoulos D (2011) Water demand management: implementation principles and indicative case studies. Water Environ J 25:466–476
Maxmen A (2018) As Cape Town water crisis deepens, scientists prepare for day zero. Nature 554:13–14
Mann ME, Gleick PH (2015) Climate change and California drought in the 21st century. Proc Natl Acad Sci 112(13):3858–3859
Mello KD, Randhir TO (2017) Diagnosis of water crises in the metropolitan area of São Paulo: Policy opportunities for sustainability. Urban Water J 15(1):53–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2017.1395895
Mohamed AS, Savenije HHG (2000) Water demand management: positive incentives, negatives incentives or quota regulation? Phys Chem Earth Part B 25:251–258
Nieswiadomy ML (1992) Estimating urban residential water demand: effects of price structure, conservation, and education. Water Resour Res 28(3):609–615
Pullinger M, Anderson B, Browne AL, Medd W (2013) New directions in understanding household water demand: a practices perspective. J Water Supply Res Technol AQUA 62(8):496–506
Thobani M (1997) Formal water markets: why, when, and how to introduce tradable water rights. World Bank Res Obs 12:161–179
USEPA (2016) Water use today: water in daily life, WaterSense. US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management (4204M), Washington, D.C. URL://https://www3.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/water_use_today.html. Accessed 26 Sept 2016
Funding
This study is supported in part by the NIFA, Cooperative State Research Extension, Education Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, under Projects MA500864, MAS00022, MAS00035, MAS000943, NE-1024, and NE-1044, and MA 1014291.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
The surveys were submitted to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval of research involving humans. Each survey respondent was asked to read and agree to the informed consent document before completing the survey.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Randhir, T.O., Axelson, J.(. Water Use and Conservation Preferences Among Households in an Urbanizing Gradient. Water Conserv Sci Eng 4, 163–173 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41101-019-00074-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41101-019-00074-5