Options
Water quality perceptions and private well management: The role of perceived risks, worry and control
Date Issued
2020-08-01
Date Available
2021-02-02T17:28:57Z
Abstract
Mismanagement of drinking water supplies can pose serious public health risks. There are many concerns about water source management among private well owners, as they are often solely responsible for maintaining their wells, and monitoring and testing of their own water quality. Lack of worry about contamination and a strong sense of control over risks in relation to drinking water quality have been identified as important factors that influence peoples’ perceptions and behaviour. In this paper, we investigated how worry and control moderate the influence of risk perceptions on water quality perceptions and well owners’ maintenance behaviours. We compare a sample of private well owners (N=167) with a sample of members of Group Water Schemes (GWS) (N=160) and people who are supplied via the public mains (N=195), to validate our results. We found that, in comparison to the other groups, well owners believe that water from private wells is superior and they express a high level of control over contamination risks of their drinking water. Moreover, strong feelings of control suppress their perceptions of risk in relation to water quality. However, well owners who feel largely in control also maintain their well more frequently. Our results suggest that communication strategies with well owners should aim to bring the current unrealistic levels of control perception down to more realistic levels, rather than removing all sense of control.
Sponsorship
Irish Research Council
Science Foundation Ireland
Other Sponsorship
Geological Survey Ireland
Type of Material
Journal Article
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Journal of Environmental Management
Volume
267
Copyright (Published Version)
2020 the Authors
Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
File(s)
Owning collection
Scopus© citations
17
Acquisition Date
Mar 19, 2024
Mar 19, 2024
Views
603
Acquisition Date
Mar 19, 2024
Mar 19, 2024
Downloads
149
Last Week
1
1
Last Month
2
2
Acquisition Date
Mar 19, 2024
Mar 19, 2024