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

Abstract

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.

Urban Residents’ Acceptance Intention to Use Recycled Stormwater—An Examination of Values, Altruism, Social and Cultural Norms, and Perceived Health Risks

“…In the context of recy stormwater meeting the necessary water quality standards in Taiyuan City, perce health risks were found not significantly impacting residents' intention to accept u the water. The finding supports the earlier study by the Australian Federal Scientific Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) [38]; while is inconsistent with that of Dol and Grunand [19] or Wu et al [6] that found perceived health risks can affect resid intention to use the recycled stormwater. The study of Dolnicar and Grun [19], Wu et al [33] or Mankad et al [11] were all conducted in Australia.…”

Issues Affecting Community Attitudes and Intended Behaviours in Stormwater Reuse: A Case Study of Salisbury, South Australia

“…Detailed information about types of questions and response format that we have used are detailed in [21] and [28].…”

“…Table 3 reports the frequencies only and the factors influencing Salisbury residents to uptake the stormwater treated through MAR process for different uses were explored and reported in our recent work [28]. The factors influencing Salisbury residents to take up the stormwater treated through the MAR process for different uses were explored and reported upon in Table 3.…”

Accepting managed aquifer recharge of urban storm water reuse: The role of policy‐related factors

“…Typically, in urban Australia, the public has felt uninformed about urban water decisions and has demonstrated low uptake of urban water initiatives. Yet the role of trust relevant to storm water has been somewhat different to that of other alternative sources and, instead, has been associated with lower perceived risks associated with the water source [ Wu et al ., ].…”

“…'s [] and Wu et al . [] works, public trust is also central to the issue of acceptance for storm water technology and storm water reuse. The importance of trust in the context of storm water is consistent with much of the past research on other types of alternative water sources such as desalination, rainwater, and recycled wastewater [e.g., Hurlimann , ; Mankad and Tucker , ; Nancarrow et al ., ].…”