Investigating psychological factors of behavioural intention of urban residents in South Australia to use treated stormwater for non-potable purposes

Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination

McKay, Jennifer¹  Keremane, Ganesh¹  Wu, Zhifang¹  Hemphill, Elizabeth² 

[1] Comparative Centre for Water Policies and Laws, School of Commerce, University of South Australia, Australia and National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (Program 5), Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia;School of Marketing, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia

关键词: managed aquifer recharge;    perceived health risk;    public acceptance;    recycled stormwater;    trust in water authority;   

DOI  :  10.2166/wrd.2013.048

学科分类：工程和技术（综合）

来源: IWA Publishing

【 摘 要 】

This paper reports on the intentions of urban residents in two South Australian Local Government Areas (LGAs) (council areas) to use stormwater treated through a managed aquifer recharge process for various potential non-potable uses. Data were collected through an online survey of the residents in these LGAs. The key finding is that, in common with recycled sewage water, the intention to use treated stormwater was lower for uses having closer contact with people. A hypothesized model consisting of possible factors influencing the intention to use treated stormwater was developed based on the contemporary literature relating to usage of treated sewage water. Greater trust in the local water authority was shown to be associated directly and closely with a lower perceived health risk. A positive attitude by respondents to the use of treated stormwater (as an aspect of a sustainable future) was found to be more likely to result in an intention to use the treated stormwater for non-potable purposes. Respondents' perceived health risk, emotions and environmental concerns all had significant associations with their attitudes to using stormwater but were not associated with their intention to use it.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND