Implementing the 40 Gallon Challenge to Increase Water Conservation

The 40 Gallon Challenge is an easy-to-use, comprehensive indoor and outdoor water conservation educational tool. It can be used nationwide and easily incorporated into existing educational programs. Promotional materials and pledge cards are available on the 40 Gallon Challenge website and can be modified by educators. The website displays data related to the impacts of the educational tool nationwide, statewide, and countywide. As of the writing of this article, 10,395 people had read the indoor and outdoor water conservation practices and pledged to save approximately 1.8 million gal of water per day (645 million gal per year)

Public Perceptions of Water Availability and Receptivity to Water Conservation in Georgia

Proceedings of the 2013 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 10-11, 2013, Athens, Georgia.This study investigated public perceptions of water availability in Georgia to identify factors that influence receptivity to water conservation technologies and practices. A receptivity model comprising four components – Awareness, Association, Acquisition and Application – was used to compare and contrast data collected through two different studies conducted in 2002 and 2010. The results suggest that public concern for water availability in Georgia did not change markedly over the eight years separating the two studies, with approximately half of Georgia residents expressing concern for water quantity. Factors found to influence citizen perceptions of water quantity issues and receptivity to calls for water conservation include: the difficulty in ‘seeing’ water availability challenges under normal water conditions, drought, confidence in water authorities (institutional trust), and a perception that other consumers are also conserving water (inter-personal trust). These findings have important implications for the design and implementation of water conservation programs.Sponsored by: Georgia Environmental Protection Division; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute; The University of Georgia, Water Resources Faculty.This book was published by Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2152. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views

EM-120 Utility Customer Profile Guide for Water Conservation Planning

Conservation coordinators and managers often seek recommendations for best management practices (BMPs) that produce the greatest amount of water savings at the least cost. In practice, it is difficult to create a hierarchy of BMPs based on cost and water-savings effectiveness because numerous factors may affect those results, including available conservation funding, how conservation affects revenue generation, differences in customer classifications, conservation goals set by the utility or provider, staff availability and training, economic and social values of water, and customers’ attitudes regarding conservation. Therefore, performing a customer profile in each utility service area is necessary for determining the BMPs that may help achieve water conservation goals

EM-120 Utility Customer Profile Guide for Water Conservation Planning

Conservation coordinators and managers often seek recommendations for best management practices (BMPs) that produce the greatest amount of water savings at the least cost. In practice, it is difficult to create a hierarchy of BMPs based on cost and water-savings effectiveness because numerous factors may affect those results, including available conservation funding, how conservation affects revenue generation, differences in customer classifications, conservation goals set by the utility or provider, staff availability and training, economic and social values of water, and customers’ attitudes regarding conservation. Therefore, performing a customer profile in each utility service area is necessary for determining the BMPs that may help achieve water conservation goals

Public Preferences for Water Resource Topics and Information Sources in the Southern United States

In a 2008-2009 regional survey, one in six respondents indicated that s(he) received water resource information from Extension. Respondents were most interested in learning about protecting drinking water and fish and wildlife water needs. The interest in other topics depended on respondents\u27 residence inside or outside city limits and involvement in agricultural activities. Respondents preferred learning about water resources from television coverage, newspaper articles, printed materials, or websites (for younger respondents)

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment for Private Wells in Flood-Impacted Areas

Microbial contamination of private well systems continues to be a prominent drinking water concern, especially for areas impacted by floodwaters. Hurricane Harvey deposited nearly 60 inches of rain, resulting in extensive flooding throughout Houston, Texas, and neighboring counties. A sampling campaign to test private wells for fecal indicator bacteria was initiated in the weeks following flooding. Escherichia coli concentrations measured in wells were utilized in a quantitative microbial risk assessment to estimate the risk of infection for both drinking water and indirect ingestion exposure scenarios. Derived reference pathogen doses indicated that norovirus (1.60 × 10−4 to 8.32 × 10−5) and Cryptosporidium (2.37–7.80 × 10−6) posed the greatest health risk via drinking, with median health risk estimates exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s modified daily risk threshold of 1 × 10−6 for a gastrointestinal infection. Bathing (1.78 × 10−6), showering (4.32 × 10−7), and food/dish washing (1.79 × 10−6) were also identified to be exposure pathways of health concern. A post-flood microbial risk assessment of private wells in the Gulf Coast has not previously been conducted. Estimating these health risks can provide scientifically supported guidance regarding which well water practices are safest, especially when well water quality is unknown. Developing this guidance is critical as coastal communities experience increased vulnerability to flooding

Texas Well User Stewardship Practices Three Years after Hurricane Harvey

Private wells are susceptible to contamination from flooding and are exempt from the federal requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Consequently, well users must manage (e.g., disinfect) and maintain (e.g., regularly test) their own wells to ensure safe drinking water. However, well user practices and perceptions of well water quality in the years following a natural disaster are poorly characterized. An online follow-up survey was administered in October 2020 to private well users who had previously experienced Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The survey was successfully sent to 436 participants, and 69 surveys were returned (15.8% return rate). The survey results indicate that well users who had previously experienced wellhead submersion or a positive bacteria test were more likely to implement well stewardship practices (testing and disinfection) and to report the feeling that their well water was safe. While the majority of well users believed that their water was safe (77.6%), there was a significant decrease in well water being used for drinking, cooking, and for their pets after Hurricane Harvey. Generally, these well users tend to maintain their wells at higher rates than those reported in other communities, but there continues to be a critical need to provide outreach regarding well maintenance practices, especially before natural disaster events occur