Water Issues in Georgia
A Survey of Public Perceptions and
Attitudes about Water
Presentation for Georgia Water Resources Conference
April 11, 2011
Jason Evans, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, UGA
Jon Calabria, College of Environment and Design, UGA
Warren Brown, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, UGA
Alice Miller Keyes, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division
Mark Risse, College of Biological and Engineering Sciences, UGA
Background
• Survey is a 35-state research effort led by Dr.
Robert Mahler, Water Quality Coordinator at
the University of Idaho
• Georgia survey conducted through the
Southern Regional Water Program, with
funding provided by USDA
Background
• Survey instrument contains 59 questions
developed by state Water Quality
Coordinators throughout the country
• Administered in Georgia in 2009 & 2010
Surveys mailed = 1,998
Survey returned = 520
Response rate = 26%
Impressions of Water Quality
45%
40%
Groundwater
35%
Surface water
Ocean water
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Good or excellent
Good and
improving
Good but
deteriorating
Fair
Poor but improving
Poor
No opinion/don't
know
Importance of Water Issues
Interstate transfer/sale of water rights
Within state transfer/sale of water rights
Water for household landscapes
Hypoxia (Gulf dead zone)
Water for recreation
Water for commerce/ind./pwr gen
Water for municipal use
Water for aquatic habitat
Water for agriculture
Clean water for shellfishing
Clean bays & estuaries
Clean marine water
Clean beaches
Clean groundwater
Clean rivers & lakes
Clean drinking water
0%
10%
Very Important
20%
Important
30%
No Opinion
40%
50%
Somewhat Important
60%
70%
Not Important
80%
90%
100%
Areas of Interest for Learning More about Water Quality
Animal waste management
Irrigation management
Landscape buffers
Forest management and water issues
Watershed restoration
Nutrient and pesticide management
Community actions concerning water issues
Restoring fish and aquatic habitat
Shoreline clean-up
Water policy and economics
Private well protection
Watershed management
Septic system management
Fish and wildlife water needs
Home and garden landscaping
Protecting public drinking water supplies
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Sources Cited as Most Responsible for Surface Water Pollution
Industry
Erosion from roads and/ or construction, repair
New suburban development
Stormwater runoff
Agriculture - crops
Wastewater treatment plants
Runoff from home landscapes
Septic tanks
Landfills
Agriculture - animals
Forestry
Oil wells and mining
Military bases
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Specific Local Water Quality Issues
Fertilizer/Nitrates
Pesticides
Fertilizer/Phosphates
Septic systems
Salinity
Know it is a problem
Product and waste water from mining
Suspect it is a problem
Don't Know
Algae
Suspect it is NOT a problem
Know it is NOT a problem
Pharmaceuticals
Petroleum products
Heavy metals
Minerals
Pathogens
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Future likelihood of prolonged drought
Increasing
Decreasing
Staying the same
No opinion
Likelihood of Your Local Area Meeting All Water Resource Needs in 10 Years
Low likelihood
Medium likelihood
High likelihood
No opinion
How Well are Water Resources being Protected by…
Individual Citizens
Federal Government
Very Well
Moderately Well
Don't Know
Somewhat Poorly
Very Poorly
State Government
Your county, city, or town
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Importance of Practices for Water Resource Protection
Treating stormwater runoff
Better mgt of rec activities (boating, fishing, ATVs)
Improving home & garden practices
Better mgt of shoreline access to prevent erosion
Preserving agricultural land & open space
Improving agricultural practices
Very Important
Important
Preserving & restoring buffer zones & wetlands
No Opinion
Somewhat Important
Making water quality & quantity data available to public
Not Important
Building new water storage structures (dams, reservoirs)
Residential water conservation
Educating municipal officials
Improving wastewater treatment
Improving water quality monitoring to detect pollution
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%