Comparing Water Source Knowledge in Cities that Exceed the Lead Action Level

• Published in: Journal - American Water Works Association 2017-03, Vol.109 (3), p.E61-E72
• Main Authors: Harnish, Leah, Carpenter, Adam T., Moran, Sharon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cities; Drinking water; Environmental protection; Knowledge; Lead; Lead content; Lead poisoning; perception; Public Opinion; source water; survey; Surveys; Water Quality; Water resources
• ISSN: 0003-150X; 1551-8833
• DOI: 10.5942/jawwa.2017.109.0015

The authors studied the level of people's knowledge about their drinking water source, their level of concern for it, and how this relates to living in a city where lead levels in the water exceed the US Environmental Protection Agency's lead action level. Results show that, depending on how respondents perceived the issue, knowledge level and perception of a problem both are dominating factors in people's understanding of their water source. Using a survey to identify relationships, the study found that those respondents from cities with lead levels that exceeded the action level showed higher concern for their tap water quality; this increased when the respondents could not identify their water source. Looking at these results in the context of the theory of planned behavior (specifically perception, knowledge, and behavior), showed that the more people know about their source water, the less likely they are to express unnecessary concern due to a misperception of an issue.