Arid Inland Community Survey on Water Knowledge, Trust, and Potable Reuse. II: Predictive Modeling

Abstract

Demographic and contextual factors have been shown to influence acceptance of water reuse but have not been adequately studied in an arid inland context. The authors conducted a survey of 4,000 water utility customers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, (response rate=46%) on acceptance of two potable reuse scenarios, trust in institutions, water scarcity–related topics, and demographic information. Using ordered logistic regression models, the predictive power of demographic factors on acceptance of direct potable reuse (DPR) and indirect potable reuse (IPR) was investigated. It is demonstrated that demographic data can be used to predict probabilities of potable reuse acceptance with reasonable accuracy. Chi-square tests of independence were then used to further examine the relationships among less-accepting demographic groups and their levels of trust in institutions, prior awareness of potable reuse, and knowledge of water scarcity in the region. This study intends to fill knowledge gaps related to arid inland perspectives on potable water reuse and related topics, and proposes an approach to enable creation of inclusive public dialogue and design of tailored education and outreach programming.