Are Well Owners Unique Environmentalists? An Exploration of Rural Water Supply Infrastructure, Conservation Routines, and Moderation

Abstract

Enormous demands for irrigation water have depleted groundwater reserves in Kansas, where portions of the High Plains aquifer are in jeopardy. This study examines how private water wells influence conservation routines by comparing the watering practices of well owners to those of non-well owners across the state. My guiding research question is: Does water supply infrastructure moderate the relationship between demographic predictors and pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs)? To answer this, I surveyed well owners and non-well owners throughout Kansas (n = 864). The results indicate that controlling for water supplies uncovers differences across many associations between water conservation efforts and other PEBs with commonly studied demographics (sex, income, political affiliation, education, age, and geography). Researching well owners’ acts of environmental stewardship will be key to aquifer preservation.

Mapping green infrastructure and socioeconomic indicators as a public management tool: the case of the municipalities of Andalusia (Spain)

“…Likewise, it has also been shown that, in the face of degraded and polluted areas, the well-preserved ecosystems with GI provide society with a protection barrier against pathogens and infections. In particular, these ecosystems are a source of environmental goods and services of great value and economic importance, such as clean water and air, carbon storage or protection against the effects of climate change [ 72 , 73 , 77 ]. This is recognized by the European Union, in the recent 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, where it is pointed out that the risk of the appearance and spread of infectious diseases increases as nature or the proper functioning of ecosystems is destroyed.…”