Local perceptions of water quality in the Upper Saline Watershed

Ecosystem

Perception and how it relates to the Ecosystem

Upper Saline Watershed (Surf Your Watershed, N.d.)

Our local watershed is such an essential part of our everyday living. However, most people take their water for granted and assume that some else is taking care of that problem. Yet, this is not always the case. Many watersheds throughout the United States are at risk for different types of contamination. In our local watershed, mercury and phosphorus are something of a concern.

The purpose of this experiment was to see what the local population thought about their water. Survey questions were designed to measure their perceptions of the local water quality and other relevant factors.

Results

The primary hypothesis was tested and indicated that about seventy percent of the people sampled felt that their drinking water was safe. Therefore about three fourths of the local population feels confident in the Upper Saline Watershed's quality.

Do you feel confident that your drinking water is safe for you and your family?

YES NO

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However, a slightly different version of this question indicated some different results. Survey respondents were also asked if they used tap water for drinking at home. If the residents felt that their water was safe, then it would be logical to assume that they would drink it regularly. However, this was not the case and a significant amount of people, more than the majority, do not drink tap water at home.

At home, do you use tap water for drinking?

YES NO

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The trust level suffers even further when a third party is involved. Another question asked if they felt if the tap water they were served in a restaurant was safe from contaminants and the trust level was much lower.

When you ask for water in restaurants, do you feel confident that the water you are drinking is free from contaminants?

YES NO

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Questions that were directed towards the knowledge about the Upper Saline Watershed indicated that the participants were fairly ignorant of were there water comes from. For example, a strong majority of people did not even know that there water came from this water shed.

Prior to this survey, did you know that your drinking water supply comes from the Upper Saline Watershed?

YES NO

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The lack of knowledge about the watershed became even more apparent when more specific questions were asked. Only a couple people in the entire population had any clue that the fatmucket was in decline due to local pollutants.

Did you know that fatmucket mussels used to thrive in the USW?

YES NO

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Are you aware that fatmucket mussel species are declining due to pollutants, mainly sedimentation, in your watershed?

YES NO

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It was also interesting to note that virtually everyone that responded you definitely like to see more information about their water quality in a quarterly report.

Would you like to see a quarterly report with your water bill showing an analysis of your watershed?

YES NO

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Conclusion

There were also some promising responses to questions that could further education and water consumption behaviors among consumers. However, a majority of respondents would not support a tax that would help improve water quality yet many were interested in possibly participating in a workshop to learn more about the watershed. A significant number were also interested in joining a local water conservation group. Almost everyone was also willing to use a low-flow shower head if there was an incentive provided however almost no one was willing without the same incentive. This provides some insight into what it might take to create policy to preserve the local quality of water as well as address other ecological concerns in the local area. But there is the catch-22, nobody wants to pay additional taxes yet everyone wants an incentive to act environmentally friendly. This will take strong leadership and education to overcome such situations in the future as ecological issues become more salient.