We are starting from the assumption that most people in the Santa Cruz and Soquel Water Districts care about our environment and want to exercise care when it comes to water use. This assumption is supported by the fact that our residential per capita water usage (65 gal./day) is well below the California average. But in spite of that relatively low consumption rate, our water use is not sustainable; fish populations have died off, the Purisima aquifer is in danger of sea-water intrusion, and we draw down too much water from the Loch Lomond Reservoir each summer to be adequately prepared for droughts.
One might therefore reasonably ask: How can people be inspired to use less water? Researchers in Australia are learning what causes people to change their water use habits. As explained by Zoë Sofoulis and Carolyn Williams, water consumption behaviors are influenced by cultures (habits, shared lifestyles, assumed living standards) that “co-evolve” with large-scale systems (water infrastructures, governmental restrictions and public information campaigns) and objects (toilets, taps, catchment systems, water diaries).1 Each of these three components shapes each of the others and impacts water-use behavior in the process. For example: The fact that our water comes to us though hidden pipes and reliable faucets (objects) makes it easy not to think about our water consumption or the cultural norms about how frequently one should shower, wash the car, or water the lawn. If the water authorities (systems) provide shower timers (objects), people may not only shorten their showers but also begin to question cultural norms – which, in turn, could further influence their water use.
Our local water authorities question the value of investing in rainwater catchment systems for this area since we rarely have rains in the summer months, precisely when we most need to irrigate plants. Without summer rains to refill it, a typical catchment tank would conserve only about a quarter of a month’s water usage per year. However, by making some water storage a part of home life, a catchment tank can help residents become more conscious of their water use, resulting in more conservation throughout the house as well. They may begin to identify themselves as water savers rather than just water consumers, and this shift in identity impacts all facets of their water-use behavior. This cultural shift is difficult to quantify but can result in a reduction in water use far greater than the amount of water stored in a catchment tank.
While public education, rebate programs, and changes in infrastructure to conserve water are all very important components of a sustainable water plan, social networking (a cultural component) can induce significant changes in water-use behavior. For example, when we notice that a friend doesn’t flush the toilet after peeing, we may begin to question and then reduce our own toilet flushing. The same is true for other daily routines such as turning off faucets while washing our hands or brushing our teeth, or washing our cars less frequently. Observing or discussing daily habits with water-saving friends leads others to change their own cultural assumptions and water-use behaviors.
Imposing water restrictions on outdoor irrigation is, of course, one way to reduce water use; but more creative approaches can be even more effective. In Queensland, after about 20% of the 2.7 million residents had installed catchment systems and the Water Commission had built a desal plant and implemented severe water curtailment, further restrictions were still needed. 2 However, residents were suffering from “restriction fatigue.” So instead of instituting still more specifics do’s and don’ts, the Queensland authorities made the problem clear through public service announcements and other means, specified maximum water-use goals (35-40 gallons/day per person), and offered suggestions for ways they might conserve (e.g., reducing showers from 7 to 4 minutes). They also instituted a $261-million rebate program for devices such as low-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, and catchment systems. People used the rebates, and some may have chosen to take fewer showers so that they could give more water to their gardens, while others may have flushed toilets less frequently in order to luxuriate in a bathtub. The result? The Queenslanders not only met but surpassed the goals for conservation.
We could do this too, and we wouldn’t need to reduce our water use nearly as much as the Australians, except in the case of a worst-case drought that has occurred just once in the last 87 years. Santa Cruz authorities assume that we are unwilling to cut back water use in drought years more than 15%. This assumption makes desalination appear necessary to cope with mild droughts that occur on average once very six years. The reality is that our community has an exemplary history of water conservation during droughts, and, like the Australians, we will conserve when we are aware of the severity of our water challenges. What we lack is an awareness that our water crisis is ongoing – it doesn’t just happen during defined drought periods. We have an ongoing overdraft of aquifers and over-diversion from streams. Yet our water agencies impose restrictions in dry years and lift them when rain returns to normal, sending the message that we can resume the old water-use habits that led to the overdraft, declining fish populations, and sea-water intrusion in the first place.
We trust that people will conserve when they become aware that sustainable aquifers and native fish depend on it. They will take advantage of financial incentives for water-saving appliances and landscapes. And people will save water when they are respected enough to make their own decisions bout how to conserve.
1 Zoë Sofoulis and Carolyn Williams, “From Pushing Atoms to Growing Networks: Cultural Innovation and Co-Evolution in Urban Water Conservation.” Social Alternatives, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2008, 50-57.
2 Susan Carpenter, “Australian Water Crisis Offers Clues for California” [Updated], Los Angeles Times, January 15, 2010
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