COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS OF WATER RESOURCES IN LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS

To examine whether a community can perceive stormwater runoff as both a local resource and threat to coastal water quality, an online survey of the Ventura River watershed community probed local residents’ understanding of watershed knowledge, beliefs, and behavior with regards to their local environment as it pertained to water resources, especially as affected by human activity. Analysis of the initial 65 participants’ responses and their self-reported water activity, water activity frequency, and perceptions of Ventura River’s discharge and stormwater runoff reveals the community’s behavior regarding exposure to poor water quality in a local coastal environment and ultimately, the survey participants level of geoliteracy concerning this local watershed. A chi-square analysis examines if a significant relationship exists between the categorical variables of the survey questions and determines if significant relationships exist between self-reported waterborne illness symptoms and the water activities that participants enjoy regularly and/or perform for work.