Insights from residents under year‐round irrigation restrictions to improve water conservation impacts

Abstract

Year‐round irrigation water restrictions can be effective water demand management tools if people adhere to them. Awareness and understanding of these regulations have important implications for compliance and long‐term water supply goals. This study quantified irrigation restriction awareness‐knowledge and how‐to knowledge using survey data from residents with automated irrigation systems. Only half of those subject to irrigation restrictions were aware of these regulations; these irrigation restriction aware individuals reported varying perceived allowable watering frequency, implying that misunderstandings exist. Education, living in a homeowners association, hiring specific professionals, and information‐seeking preferences distinguished irrigation restriction aware from unaware individuals. Binary logistic regression revealed that when considered together, race, education, income, hiring a professional for fertilizer application, and living in a homeowner association significantly influence awareness‐knowledge. There are important opportunities to improve conservation outcomes by increasing both awareness and accuracy among target audience members.