ETD RECORD
Residential landscape water use and conservation
Citation
Andersen, Barbara Jane.. (2008). Residential landscape water use and conservation. Theses and Dissertations Collection, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections. https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/etd/items/etd_87.html
- Title:
- Residential landscape water use and conservation
- Author:
- Andersen, Barbara Jane.
- Date:
- 2008
- Keywords:
- Water use--Northwest Pacific Water use--Alaska
- Program:
- Environmental Science
- Abstract:
- Residential landscape water use, particularly lawn watering, has been identified as a major portion of domestic water consumption. The goals of this dissertation were to collect baseline data on residential landscape water use and water conservation practices among Pacific Northwest residents and to examine the water conservation practices, lawn watering frequency, habits, environmental values, and sense of agency of Moscow, Idaho and Pullman, Washington homeowners.;A mail questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 1,800 citizens in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The research objectives were to identify outside water uses, to identify water conservation practices, to determine water conservation motivations, and to determine water conservation barriers. The results show that 83% of respondents watered some part of their yards in summer, especially in Idaho, where over 95% watered their yards. Over 65% of Pacific Northwest respondents indicated they water their lawns in summer. Three water conservation practices were widespread: watering only in the evening or early morning, sweeping sidewalks, decks, and driveways instead of washing them with water, and less lawn watering than respondents practiced previously. Sixty-two percent of respondents were motivated to conserve water by both environmental and economic concerns. Over 60% of respondents reported no barriers to their water conservation efforts. We found the demographic attributes of age, education level, community size, time lived in the Pacific Northwest and state of residence to be significant in association with water use, use of conservation practices, primary motivations for conserving water in outside uses and the perception of barriers to water conservation.;A mail questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1,746 Moscow, Idaho and Pullman, Washington homeowners. Lawn watering frequency was found to be related to the homeowners' habitualness of water conservation behaviors. Seventy-eight percent of households with annual incomes over {dollar}80,000, 76.1% of households with four or more people, and/or 53.2% of Pullman homeowners, compared with 37.6% of Moscow homeowners, were more likely to water their lawns once a week or more. The habitualness of four water conservation practices was found to be influenced by the demographic variables of household size, gender, education, income, and age.
- Description:
- Thesis (Ph. D., Environmental Science)--University of Idaho, August 2008.
- Major Professor:
- Robert L. Mahler.
- Defense Date:
- August 2008.
- Type:
- Text
- Format Original:
- xi, 220 leaves :ill., map ;29 cm.
- Format:
- record
Rights
- Rights:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted. For more information, please contact University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives Department at libspec@uidaho.edu.
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