WATER QUANTITY PERCEPTIONS IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: A MIXED METHODS APPROACH FOR DEVELOPING CROSS-SECTIONAL WATERSHED COMPARISON

Population growth and increasing concern about drought creates a need to better understand perceptions about water quantity. This project is a pilot study for developing reliable methods for comparing water quantity perceptions throughout cross-sections of watersheds. The comparison is completed between undergraduate students at Appalachian State University (ASU) and two counties in Northwestern North Carolina. The intent of the research is to exemplify replicable, mixed research methods that can be used to compare perceptions about the value of all aspects of the drivers of willingness to pay (WTP) for water including quantity, time frame, space, reliability and quality. Independent sample t-tests and cross tabulations are used to analyze survey data about water quantity perceptions in our two study samples. Statistically significant differences in attitudes are measured in many areas. Respondents in the public sample expressed higher levels of concerns about the water supply and lower levels of agreement with regulatory actions like water metering, water usage restrictions, and fee-assessments during drought. The results indicate that respondents in the student sample are more willing to agree with government restrictions and policies that regulate water usage than in the public sample. Both samples express only moderate levels of concern about water conservation and water availability and agree that public funds should be used to acquire additional water sources. Future research can replicate these methods throughout sections of a watershed. Decision-makers can use the findings to form more effective policies and legislation.