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The experience and perceptions of 80 people residing in four separate sites, which feature reclaimed water systems, are considered in this paper in relation to the benefits and costs of residential water reuse applications. Reclaimed water is used for non-potable applications by residents in Florida mainly for garden irrigation and in Australia for both irrigation and toilet flushing. All respondents value reclaimed water and although the benefit of water conservation is identified they are more enthusiastic about the personal cost benefit involved in using this cheaper alternative to potable water. Many are willing to handle the water but the extent to which this increased exposure is seen as a good development depends on the quality of information provided to users. In relation to reclaimed water for toilet flushing, there is a strong indication that the water conservation and cost saving benefit is small compared to the initial cost and the increased cross connection risk.

Ensuring adequate water supplies in urban Australia is a problem of considerable concern to State and federal governments. A variety of technical solutions are available, including water recycling. While there has been policy support for water recycling, public perceptions are seen by industry stakeholders as a significant impediment to the implementation of recycled water schemes. This article reports baseline data on attitudes to water recycling and its uses in a representative sample of Australians from major urban areas. Sociological frameworks for interpreting the results focus on understanding how people assess the risks associated with recycled water. Three perspectives are outlined, and their consistency with the survey results is analysed. The epistemologically realist view, often the fallback of water professionals and policy makers, is shown to have limited applicability. An interpretation focused on the cultural meanings associated with different forms and uses of water is found to be consistent with many aspects of Australians' expressed views about water recycling, as is a view focused on the `risk society' thesis. The article considers the implications of these findings.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate a specialist nursing service programme for people with an intellectual disability residing in the community. It is important to correct the imbalance in the literature that has neglected the voices of the clients themselves or denied expression by their proxies. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of matters of importance for clients and their families and to involve them in the evaluation of a service that directly affects their care. Only three clients were able to participate; however, 17 parents (next of kin) agreed to be interviewed. In-depth interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed relating to the questions asked and were checked against the domains of the nursing practice in the disability area: continuity of care, advanced nursing practice, education and credentialling, personal and professional attributes, primary health care, and normalization. The findings confirm the high regard in which the programme is held. Service evaluation is crucial in providing evidence for programme funders. The favourable outcome of this evaluation meant that the programme gained funding for another few years.

This publication provides an anthropological interpretation of some of the common challenges characterizing water supply in modern economies. If there is doubt that the management of this essential service is not an issue of significance for the social sciences, consider the current water restrictions experienced by most Australians, and the recent restructuring of water and sewerage utilities from government to public-private partnerships in a global environment that widely acknowledges water supply as one of the central concerns for the 21st century.'The meaning of water' is explored with managers of water and residents in the Stour Valley, Dorset, in the south of England. The context is therefore important to Australian readers. It is reported that per capita domestic usage of water, at 160 litres per day, is considered high in the UK, being double the consumption reported in 1961. However, this represents just over half of Australia's domestic per capita usage, which again falls far short of consumption in the USA. Unlike their Australian counterparts, most households in the UK do not have their water use metered. Meanwhile, materialist values are driving the consumption of water guzzlers such as swimming pools, spas and 'power showers'. The current dilemma is that there is little understanding of the concept of finite, fresh water sources, nor sympathy for those responsible for capturing, treating and distributing water to supply an ever-increasing demand.Therefore the overarching social, technical and environmental processes addressed in this volume are similar to those in operation throughout the developed and developing world. That is,