The Pacific Northwest Water Quality team just completed our second survey (the first was in 2002) to document public awareness, aptitudes, attitudes, and actions taken toward water resource issues in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. This mail-based survey was completed by 1,012 of the 1,800 residents who were randomly chosen to take part in this effort. We were especially interested in how people have responded to water quantity and water quality issues in the region over the last five years. Consequently, this update shares information about actions people have taken to mitigate water quality and quantity concerns in the region. Addressing Water Quantity Issues The majority of Pacific Northwest residents have taken action to address water quantity issues during the last five years. Based on the 2007 Water Issues Survey, almost 59 percent of residents indicated that they bought or installed a water saving device in their primary residence. This is an impressive result considering that many people had already installed water saving devices prior to 2002. Forty-six percent of respondents have changed the way they water their yards. Some planted plantings that require less water in their landscapes, while others installed drip irrigation systems. Many people just simply changed when and how often they water their landscaping to improve water use efficiency. Almost 43 percent of residents reported changes in how water is used in the home. Almost one-third of residents reported that they have changed how their motor vehicle is washed, resulting in a net savings of water. The following are actions taken by Pacific Northwest residents in the last five years to address water quantity issues. Home Water quantity action Percent doing Bought or installed a water-saving appliance or device 59 Changed the way the yard is landscaped; when and how often it is watered 46 Changed how water is used in the home 43 Changed how vehicle is washed 30 No actions taken 18 Less than 18 percent of the region’s residents reported that they took no actions to address water quantity concerns in the region. It is promising that over four out of five residents of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington have proactively addressed water quantity issues since 2002.

Pacific Northwest Regional Water Quality Coordination Project Partners Land Grant Universities Alaska Cooperative Extension Service Contact Fred Sorensen: 907-786-6311 http://www.uaf.edu/ces/water/ University Publications: http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/ Idaho University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System Contact Bob Mahler: 208-885-7025 http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqhome.html University Publications: http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Catalog/catalog.html Oregon Oregon State University Extension Service Contact Mike Gamroth: 541-737-3316 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/ University Publications: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ Washington Washington State University WSU Extension Contact Bob Simmons: 360-427-9670 ext. 690 http://wawater.wsu.edu/ University Publications: http://pubs.wsu.edu/ Northwest Indian College Contact Dan Burns: 360-392-4328 dburns@nwic.edu or http://www.nwic.edu/ Water Resource Research Institutes Water and Environmental Research Center (Alaska) http://www.uaf.edu/water/ Idaho Water Resources Research Institute http://www.boise.uidaho.edu/ Institute for Water and Watersheds (Oregon) http://water.oregonstate.edu/ State of Washington Water Research Center http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/ Environmental Protection Agency EPA, Region 10 The Pacific Northwest http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/ Office of Research and Development, Corvallis Laboratory http://www.epa.gov/wed/ For more information contact Jan Seago at 206-553-0038 or seago.jan@epa.gov
	Addressing Water Quality Issues A majority of Pacific Northwest residents have also taken actions to address water quality issues at the residence level in the last five years. Over 46 percent of survey respondents reported that they have chosen to dispose of household chemicals or yard waste at an approved facility or during a special trash pickup, instead of dumping them down the drain or including them with general trash. Almost one-third of the region’s residents have changed the way they use pesticides and/or fertilizers in the last five years to protect water quality. The percentage of people who changed how they deal with motor oil and other vehicle fluids (29 percent) may seem low; however, most people have been correctly disposing of these fluids (through commercial dealers) prior to 2002. The percentages of people who have pumped their septic system (18.2 percent) and tested their drinking water (13.3 percent) also appears low. However, less than 30 percent of the region’s residents are served by septic systems and private wells. Consequently, the majority of affected residents have taken the appropriate actions needed to protect water quality. The following are actions taken by Pacific Northwest residents in the last five years to address water quality issues. Home Water quality action Percent doing Chosen to dispose of household chemicals or yard waste at an approved facility or during a special trash pickup, instead of dumping them down the drain or including them with the general trash 46 Changed use of pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals 31 Changed how motor oil and other vehicle fluids are dealt with 29 No action taken 26 Pumped septic system 18 Tested drinking water 13 A little more than a quarter (26 percent) of the residents of the Pacific Northwest have taken no actions in the last five years to protect water quality. In general, the majority of citizens of the Pacific Northwest have been proactive toward water quality and water quantity issues on a personal basis in the last five years. This proactive stance shows that citizens of the region place a high value on their water resources.
	National Water Quality Program Areas The four land grant universities in the Pacific Northwest have aligned our water resource extension and research efforts with eight themes of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Animal Waste Management Drinking Water and Human Health Environmental Restoration Nutrient and Pesticide Management Pollution Assessment and Prevention Watershed Management Water Conservation and Agricultural Water Management Water Policy and Economics
	NIFA is the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a sub-agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, and is the federal partner in this water quality program.

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HOME | About | Calendar | Contacts | Links | PNW Water Updates | Sitemap NIFA National Water Quality Program This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2008-51130-04734. all external sites will open in a new browser window page last modified on September 30, 2007