Insights from residents under year-round irrigation restrictions to improve water conservation impacts

Abstract

Year-round irrigation water restrictions can be effective water demand management tools if people adhere to them. Awareness and understanding of these regulations have important implications for compliance and long-term water supply goals. This study quantified irrigation restriction awareness-knowledge and how-to knowledge using survey data from residents with automated irrigation systems. Only half of those subject to irrigation restrictions were aware of these regulations; these irrigation restriction aware individuals reported varying perceived allowable watering frequency, implying that misunderstandings exist. Education, living in a homeowners association, hiring specific professionals, and information-seeking preferences distinguished irrigation restriction aware from unaware individuals. Binary logistic regression revealed that when considered together, race, education, income, hiring a professional for fertilizer application, and living in a homeowner association significantly influence awareness-knowledge. There are important opportunities to improve conservation outcomes by increasing both awareness and accuracy among target audience members.