Abstract
Stormwater has been recognised as one of the additional/alternative sources of water to augment freshwater supply and address the growing needs of humankind. South Australia has been a leader in the development of large-scale urban stormwater harvesting schemes in Australia for nearly 50 years and the Salisbury Local Government Area (LGA), in particular, is at the forefront of urban stormwater management and recycling, not only in the state of South Australia, but worldwide. This is mainly due to its pioneering achievements in stormwater capture and treatment through the managed aquifer recharge (MAR) process. However, there are many challenges in implementing water reuse strategies and past studies have identified public health concerns and public acceptance as major challenges. In line with this, our team conducted an internet survey to gauge the attitude and intentions of Salisbury LGA residents to use stormwater treated through the MAR process for non-potable uses. We found that respondents’ emotions and perceptions of health risk, regarding the use of treated stormwater, were closely related to the proximity of the end use to human contact. In terms of quality indicators, colour, odour, and salt levels were all seen as being important. Quality preferences were also closely related to the proximity of the end use to human contact, and reflected the use of water for indoor/outdoor purposes.
Highlights
It has become evident that demand for water resources in many Australian urban centres is approaching supply capacity and in some instances, exceeding sustainable limits [1,2,3,4]
12 out of the 15 residents were very proud of their local Salisbury Stormwater Harvesting Project, stating: Salisbury is a world leader in stormwater sustainability; Best in the world, leading technology, excellent in general; Salisbury is an innovator; Salisbury has one of the best systems for stormwater management; City of Salisbury is taking the lead on recycling stormwater via wetlands in SA
Respondents were provided with the definitions of “stormwater”, “managed aquifer recharge (MAR)
Summary
It has become evident that demand for water resources in many Australian urban centres is approaching supply capacity and in some instances, exceeding sustainable limits [1,2,3,4]. Achieving sustainable urban water systems and protecting the quality and quantity of freshwater resources are identified as key components of ecologically sustainable development [5,6,7]. In this regard, there is considerable scope for a proportion of urban water currently consumed to be replaced by lower quality water [2,3]. Stormwater runoff from Australian capital cities has been found to be comparable to the total amount of potable water consumed [12] The harvesting of this resource provides an alternative water supply, reducing pressure on existing water supply systems [11].
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