Urban Community Attitudes to Recycled Water Use
Outside recycled water tap at Mawson Lakes, South Australia |
Title
In Theory and in Practice: Attitudes to Potential and Actual Use of Recycled Water in and out of House – An Australian Case Study, Mawson Lakes, SA
Location: Centre for Comparative Water Policies and Laws, University of South Australia, Adelaide, located at City West Campus.
Principal Supervisor: Prof. Jennifer McKay, Director, Centre for Comparative Water Policies and Laws, School of Commerce, University of South Australia
Associate Supervisors: Dr Stan Salagaris, Education program development officer, the Joint Venture Delfin Lend Lease Land Management Corporation.
Another Associate supervisor would be possible.
About
This project was partly funded by the CRC WQT www.waterquality.crc.org.au People's perspectives Program. and also by an earlier ARC Linkage Grant with partners Delfin Lend Lease and the Land Management Corporation. The project looked and the attitudes of the community of residents in Mawson lakes to the non potable use of recycled water which was delivered to them via lilac pipes.
Abstract
The use of recycled water has been promoted in many parts of the world under the banner of sustainable water management. Impetus for these policies has been provided by Increasing water scarcity driven by population growth and rising per capita water consumption. A major barrier to the success of recycled water use policies can be a lack of community support. A further problem is significant gaps, uncertainties and assumptions in the literature about community attitudes to recycled water use. the aim of this thesis was to bridge theses gaps answering specific research question: What are the components of community attitudes to and satisfaction with recycled water use.
Research Focus
The case study site was Mawson Lakes, where recycled water is used for non potable purposes including garden watering, toilet flushing and car washing through a dual water supply system. Construction of this greenfields suburb began in 1997 and is expected to be completed in 2010 by which time there will be 10,000 residents.
The study found the components of community satisfaction with recycled water use were an individual's positive perception of::
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the Water Authority's communication.
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trust in the Water Authority,
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fairness in the recycled water system's implementation
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quality of the recycled water system and
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risk associated with recycled water use (negative relationship)
Other issues investigated in the thesis include:-
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attitudes to recycled water use attributes including salt, colour, odour and price when used for clothes washing, garden watering and toilet flushing),
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risk perception
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attitudes to price
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willingness to pay for recycled water quality improvements
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willingness to pay non market benefits of recycled water use and
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perceptions of institutions.
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Anna Hurlimann completed an excellent PhD called An Exploration of Community Attitudes to Recycled Water use- an urban Australian Case Study. The supervisors were Prof McKay and Prof Gus Geurse who is now at Central Queensland University. Dr Elizabeth Hemphill also provided support to the study. Much assistance was also rendered by Chris Marles SA Water, Delfin Lend Lease, the Mawson Lakes Joint Venture and Dr John Boland of UniSA. The thesis examiners from Sweden Linkoping University and the UK Cranfield described the work as very systematic and Anna most stringent and able in her approach. The thesis is available for loan through UniSA Library. Many publications have resulted and these are available from the journals.
Background
Mawson Lakes is a world class third pipe greenfields development 12 km from Adelaide which has 2000 residents now and is expected to have over 10,000 residents in the next 6 years. The scheme is innovative from the energy conservation and water perspectives. Mawson Lakes has been developed by a consortium of Delfin Lend Lease and the SA Government in cooperation with the City of Salisbury. It many ways it is a model greenfields development with residents agreeing to live there with the understanding that they have to use recycled water in their toilets and outside in the garden.
The recycled water is to be delivered through lilac taps and these have been installed on all properties. As yet recycled water is not being delivered to customers but this will occur in mid 2004. All residents have signed a covenant agreeing to use the recycled water as above. The international literature for the US (Bruvold 1988) and anecdotal evidence from Australia (Hurlimann and McKay 2003 and ARCWIS 1999) emphasises that community acceptance of such schemes is crucial to their adoption. The community need well structured information from a source they trust in relation to a highly emotive topic such as water recycling.
The project has commenced already with a bench mark survey( Phase 1) being conducted in September 2003. At that time, 135 households responded to the questionnaire out of the 350 occupied households. The benchmark survey was wide ranging to enable an assessment of the shifts in attitudes (if any) once the recycled water is put the\rough the pipes. The survey consisted of over 70 questions aimed to assess inter alia all socio demographic variables in relation to attitude questions about perceptions related to the proposed water use. The Phase 1 survey also addressed wider issues such as trust in the water Authority and reasons for selecting Mawson Lakes and general environment concerns of the respondents.
There have been two publications out if this benchmark survey and two conference presentations one in Perth at the Australian Water Association conference (Hurlimann and McKay paper 186) and the other in Madrid at the X1th World Water Congress of the International Water Resources Association. Two particularly striking findings were that younger respondents have a more positive attitude to use of recycled water and that over 50% or respondents would consider using recycled water in the laundry see( McKay and Hurlimann 2003 ). Another paper "Governance that builds Knowledge and Trust in Water Authorities and positive impacts on Community Use of recycled water" has been accepted for Enviro 04 in Sydney in March.
Description of project
The project would include two more interview phases . Phase 2 soon after the recycled water is put through the pipes and Phase 3 some time after the community have been using the water. The two Phases would re- interview the same residents and a selection of new residents after the using the same questionnaire and also ask additional questions relating to:
- pricing relativities of recycled water re potable water
- influence of colour and odour on attitudes
- further exploration the age factor
- further exploration of the laundry use issue
- issues relating to garden use, and generally
- capture other relevant issues on the topic
Methodology
The first phase used telephone interviews conducted by the Marketing Science Centre of the UniSA and Phases 2 and 3 would use the same body.
Skills/interests required
The student, Anna Hurlimann, who has been working on this project has a Science degree in geography with skills in both physical hydrology and social science survey methods. She completed a honours thesis on water use in an urban area of China. She has been undertaking this part time whilst working as a planning officer and now Environmental officer for Stonnington Council in Melbourne and so has much hands on experience of community consultation processes.
References
Hurlimann, A. and McKay, J. 2004, 'Attitudes to reclaimed water for domestic use: part 2', trust, Water Journal, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 40–45
McKay, J. and Hurlimann, A. 2003, 'Attitudes to reclaimed water for domestic Use: part 1. age', Water Journal, vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 45–49
Contact details for further information
For further information please contact:
Professor and Group Convenor, WPLG
Division of Business
University of South Australia
Tel.: +61 8 8302 0887
Fax: +61 8 8302 0512
Email:
jennifer.mckay@unisa.edu.au
Web:
http://people.unisa.edu.au/Jennifer.McKay
Policy Challenges in South Australia: Elements of the social contract resulting in high urban and agricultural use of Recycled Water. Risks to the social sustainability of the social contract.
Jennifer McKay
South Australian Policy Online (SAPO)
Abstract: Professor McKay looks at water recycling law and policy initiatives in South Australia in the urban and rural sectors and how a complex mosaic of institutions, laws, and policies have aligned to embrace the concept. The social contract, however, is heavily reliant on trust by the community of the major provider SA Water and the Government agencies in general.
The alignment processes provide lessons for other jurisdictions. Challenges for the future will be to maintain trust of the community and alignment of agencies and hence continue to enjoy social support for water recycling. Other options increasingly present themselves, such as desalination. The work reported here was supported by the CRC Water Quality and Treatment and the CRC Irrigation Futures.