Water conservation in the household: the implications of metrics and the association between characteristics and presence of conservation

Increased demand from population growth in areas experiencing water scarcity can place stress on water infrastructure systems in communities. The impacts of growth can be mitigated by a management approach that encourages conservation practices. By decreasing per capita demands, communities may mitigate the need to expand system capacity and address supply-side constraints. This study uses statistical inferencing to assess (1) the relationships between household characteristics (e.g., ownership status) and whether a household conserves water, as well as (2) how these associations may vary under different scenarios of defining household conservation. To assess the presence of actual water conservation, the study uses two metrics—125gpcpd (set by the local utility) and 90gpcpd (commonly cited in the U.S.). To define the duration of household conservation, the study applies three measures—a household conserving at least 50%, 75%, or 100% of the time. The two metrics and three definitions combine to create six different scenarios. This study was facilitated by a survey deployed in 2016 to the Austin, Texas metropolitan area. The survey was intended to understand water-use behavior and perceptions toward local waterinfrastructure services. This data was subsequently matched to respondents’ monthly water consumption from 2012 to 2016 by the local utility. The results of this study show that using different metrics influences the average duration of water conservation for each household characteristic. Understanding the influence of household characteristics on conservation may assist utilities as they develop programs that target specific categories of households (e.g., households with children through school programs).