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LGIs) developing regional and multistate, integrated research and extension projects to address the water resource educational needs of their clientele on a larger scale than state-by-state.The development of large-scale AREERA-funded programs called for a new paradigm for identifying urgent water resource issues and designing and managing multi-state water resource programs. Traditionally, many scientists, policy makers, and educators at LGIs have used a standard approach of identifying critical water resource issues through their day-to-day contact with state agencies and clientele. However, some programs developed in this way have been found not to be effective, producing little to show in the way of behavioral change (Mahler et al., 2005). Largescale AREERA-funded programs required new methods for examining similarities and differences in public concerns and informational needs among the states and regions.Consequently, early in the national AREERA-funded water program (section 406), state extension water program coordinators recognized the need to develop a needs assessment tool to identify the public's understanding, attitudes, and behaviors regarding various water resource issues on a state-by-state and regional basis. The needs assessment project originally focused on the states in the Pacific Northwest Region, then extended it, region by region, to states across the United States.The objectives of this national needs assessment survey project were (1) to develop a survey tool that could be used to collect baseline information about public attitudes, aptitudes, and actions taken toward water resource issues on a state-by-state or regional basis; (2) to use the survey to collect the baseline information andThe National Water Survey Needs Assessment Program Robert L. Mahler,* Michael D. Smolen, Tatiana Borisova, Diane E. Boellstorff, Damian C. Adams, and Nicola W. Sochacka ABSTRACT Water quality and availability are identified as priority areas for outreach and educational programs in many U.S. regions. This project offers a needs assessment tool (survey) that could be used on a state-by-state, regional, or national basis to analyze public attitudes, opinions, and behaviors as related to water resource issues. The information collected through the needs assessment can be used to identify objectives, strategies, and delivery modes for extension programs, and to evaluate the programs. The goal was to implement the needs assessment survey at 5-year intervals to: (1) measure changes in public priorities; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs; and (3) reprioritize, as necessary, the educational goals. A needs assessment survey template was developed and piloted in the Pacific Northwest. During 2001-2010, surveys were conducted in 41 states and six Pacific Island entities. Almost 11,000 surveys were returned completed for a response rate of 44.5%. Five-year follow-up surveys have been completed in five states to date. The results of these surveys have been used to prioritize extension water prog...

Water conservation is an important natural resource issue, and the focus of a number of educational and extension programs. Inherent in many programs is the causal link between water facts and conservation behaviors that affect water quality and/or quantity. This article interprets the results of a survey on attitudes and perceptions of water resources (n = 2226) from nine states (Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas). The goal of the survey was to assess attitudes and perceptions of water supply, water quality, and factors affecting them. We assess the influence of attitudes and perceptions regarding the environment, water resources, governance, information sources, and demographics on water conservation behaviors. Specifically, we assess the role that these factors play in indoor and outdoor water‐conserving actions indicated by respondents. We find several statistically significant non‐knowledge factors that drive water conservation: perceived importance of water resources and their preferred use; preferred learning modes and information sources; interest in certain types of water issues; views on governance; general environmental attitudes; and demographics. For example, preferring passive learning modes (e.g., reading a newspaper article) negatively influences outdoor conservation, while preferring to learn by taking action (e.g., training) positively influences both indoor and outdoor conservation. These results highlight the importance of a number of non‐knowledge factors in water program‐related behavior change, and suggest a number of factors that could inform targeted approaches to influence differing audiences.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast on August 25, 2017, as a Category 4 hurricane and caused widespread flooding. We explored spatial and temporal distributions of well testing and contamination rates; relationships between contamination and system characteristics and recovery behaviors; and efficacy of mitigation strategies. We estimated that over 500 000 well users (∼130 000 to 260 000 wells) may have been affected, but only around 15 000 well users (∼3800 to 7500 wells) had inundated systems based on inundation maps. Local health departments and our team sampled 8822 wells in 44 counties in the 10 months that followed. Total coliform occurrence was 1.5 times and Escherichia coli was 2.8 times higher after Hurricane Harvey compared to baseline levels. Microbial contamination was more likely (1.7–2.5 times higher) when wells were inundated and/or residents felt their water was unsafe. Although more wells in urban counties were affected, E. coli rates were higher in wells in rural counties. Disinfection did not always eliminate contamination, highlighting concerns about the implementation and efficacy of chlorination procedures. Despite this extensive well testing conducted after Hurricane Harvey, we estimate that only 4.1% of potentially affected wells were tested, underscoring the magnitude of recovery assistance needed to assist well users after flooding events.

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