Abstract
A large number of cities in West Texas
are experiencing one of the worst droughts in the last hundred years; Lubbock,
one of the bigger cities in this area, is no different. Lubbock’s water
supplies have historically varied between groundwater and surface water. The City of Lubbock would like its people to
believe that the water situation is a manageable. This belief is also of
paramount importance to the city’s current and future growth. This belief
though has to be thoroughly verified and validated, because of the various
conflicting data that is available. Our research would help determine whether
the city’s population has been actively keeping up with the water crisis. The
survey found that Women in general and specifically Texan women specifically
tried to conserve water. The number of
Texans blaming the oil drillers for using more resources then they should be
was obviously higher in comparison to the non-Texan and internationals.
A higher percentage of the internationals students surveyed thought that the
Lubbock’s water resources were endangered and hence were worried. There were a
few of the limitations of the survey that can be overcome with better planning
and resources.
Introduction
A large number of cities in West Texas are experiencing one of the worst
droughts in the last hundred years; Lubbock, one of the bigger cities in this
area, is no different. Lubbock’s water supplies have historically varied
between groundwater and surface water. Some of the historic water supplies have
been discontinued due to diminished water quality, reduction in the water
availability, and due to more stringent drinking water regulations (Dunn, 2013).The water sources for the city of Lubbock have changed over time. Within
the last 20 years, the profile of Lubbock’s water supply has changed from being
satisfied mostly from Lake Meredith, to currently being satisfied by the well
fields in Bailey County, Roberts County and Lake Alan Henry (Blackburn, 2013). Current
estimates show that by the year 2014, additional water supplies and/or
aggressive water conservation is needed in order to maintain water supply
during the peak demands of the summer months (Blackburn,
2013). Even with aggressive conservation, estimates
show that Lubbock will not be capable of supplying the projected water demand
by the year 2025. In order to meet the projected
deficit created by an increasing demand and a decreasing supply of water,
multiple supply strategies have to be developed and evaluated (Dunn, 2013).
Do perceptions of a population represent the reality and facts of an
issue? Perception about water – where are we getting it from, what is endangering
it, what is changing about the city’s water supply and what are we doing to
conserve it? The survey was designed to study and understand these things about
the population of Lubbock.
Literature Review
Canadian River Municipal Water
Authority, a group formed 50 years ago with 10 other Panhandle communities to
build and provide drinking water from Lake Meredith, is the major supplier of
drinking water to the city of Lubbock. According to Blackburn, existing
customers can use up to 3,600 acre feet of water while Lubbock’s supplement for
each year is 42,000 acre feet of water. However, the fact that water resources
have become scarce and the adjacent cities such as Wolfforth and Abernathy, do
not want to be dependent completely on Lubbock's supply makes the city's water
projects encounter difficulties. The article concludes that state and federal
grant groups tend to support large groups of governments rather than a project
that benefits a single city. Thereby, Lubbock should find additional water
resources to keep its key role in water supply for the region (Blackburn, 2008).
The City of Lubbock must carefully
evaluate several water supply alternatives and select the best one since water
supply project is a major purchase. Three projects underway are indicated in
this article, which are the Roberts County Well Field Expansion, Bailey County
Well Field Development and Park Irrigation Conversion to Groundwater. However,
the problems of drought impact to Lake Meredith and growing population have
forced the City to find a new water supply. After detailed evaluation of
several water supply proposals, Lake Alan Henry with the estimation of $240
million is considered as the most sustainable and cost effective water supply
(Water Conservation and Education Department, 2008).
Combinations
of supply strategies in conjunction with the various demand projections were
used to develop five different supply packages that can potentially provide the
city with water for the 100-year planning period. In all supply packages, the Bailey
County Well Field and Lake Alan
Henry play an important role in providing the
city with its peak demand over the planning period. In order to preserve the Bailey
County Well Field, efforts should be made to reduce the annual usage from this
source (Dunn, 2013).
Hypothesis
The City of Lubbock would
like its people to believe that the water situation is a manageable. This
belief is also of paramount importance to the city’s current and future growth.
This belief though has to be thoroughly verified and validated, because of the
various conflicting data that is available. There also has to be a mechanism to
measure the people’s understanding of Lubbock’s current and future water
sources and management. We in this article would try to measure people’s knowledge
and awareness of the city’s water crisis. Our research would help determine
whether the city’s population has been actively keeping up with the water
crisis. Is there a difference in how Texans and Non Texans view the city’s
current crisis? This would be measured by the responses to question numbers
eight and ten. Would there be a clear distinction as to how men and women view
the city’s current crisis, in terms of conserving water and Lubbock’s future
water supplies? There would not only be a clear distinction in the knowledge of
the residents and non residents, there would also be a distinction in the
responses of men and women. Residents and women will be more knowledgeable
about the city’s water supplies. Do women in general believe in water restrictions
for the city or do a higher number of Texan women believe in water
restrictions? Texan women would be more likely to support water restrictions
for the city because of Texas long problem with water shortage. Is there a
clear distinction of knowledge between the American and international
respondents? Texas Tech being one of the best colleges in the West Texas
region, the knowledge and concern of the students about the city’s water
supplies would be clearly on the same lines as that of the residents of the
city. The survey being conducted in Texas Tech might also be one of the biggest
limitations to the survey, because of the student population might not be
residents of the city, thus obscuring the results.
Methods:
Surveys were designed to understand the people’s knowledge and attitude
about Lubbock’s water supply. The Fall 2013 class of ESL 5301, consisting of
thirteen students and four teachers, were required to go out and find people to
fill out the survey.
The surveys collected information about the people’s demography and had
12 questions which were mostly yes or no questions. A total of 150 surveys were
collected; these surveys were meant to understand the people’s attitude about
various topics which could affect and endanger the water resources of the City
of Lubbock. Water sources for the city of Lubbock, fracking, agriculture, and
water restrictions were few of the topics on which the survey focused. The
first few questions in the survey were used to scale the information obtained
in the survey itself; these questions were used to sub divide the data in to
smaller subsets in terms of men and women, Texans and non-Texans and students
and non-students. Few of the inherent limitations in the survey are definitions
of Texans vs. non Texans. This is a limitation, because the survey does not
clearly state what qualifies people to call themselves Texans vs. non-Texans,
is it the place of birth or the length of residency that qualifies people to be
Texans. People saying very knowledgeable
on questions 4, which asked people about their knowledge on Lubbock’s water
supply and then saying no on question 5, which asked people about the source of
Lubbock’s water supply; was one other inherent limitation of the survey . There
were also other limitations, the survey being mostly conducted on the TTU
campus and obtaining only hundred and fifty surveys to understand the people’s
knowledge and attitude about Lubbock’s water supply. The number of people being
surveyed was a limitation because the population of Lubbock as of the year 2012
is two hundred and seventy seven thousand (Department of State Health Services,
2012), while only hundred and fifty were surveyed to obtained to understand the
people’s knowledge and attitude about Lubbock’s water supply. The survey was
also heavily inaccurate in terms of the information obtained about internationals,
because the surveyors were asked to find at least five US residents for the
survey the survey may be wrongly show that Americans are more knowledgeable
then the international respondents.
Each of the 13 students and 4 teachers in
the ESL 5301 class were required to go out and find eight people to fill out
the survey. It was agreed that each surveyor would get an equal distribution of
men and women, with at least 5 or more of the participants being Americans. The
surveyors were free to chose their locations, but most of the surveyors choose
the Texas Tech campus as their location. Texas Tech is a public research
university in Lubbock, Texas. Founded in 1923, Texas Tech is located on the
South Plains of West Texas and carries the distinction of being the largest
comprehensive higher education institution in the western two-thirds of the
state of Texas.
Results:
It was hypothesized that
there would be a clear distinction in how men and women, Texans and Non Texans
would respond to the questions about water conservation and restrictions. The
hypothesis about women caring more about water conservation was proven right by
the data obtained in this survey. Sixty-five out of the seventy five women
surveyed (86%) tried to conserve water vs. only sixty out of the seventy five
men surveyed (80%) tried to conserve water (Appendix-B, Graph 1).
Question seven was used to
test the hypothesis about non Texan women and Texan-women believing in the
water restrictions for the city of Lubbock. Five out the sixteen non-Texan
women surveyed (31%) believed in water restrictions for the city vs. thirty out
the thirty seven Texas women surveyed (81%) believed in the city’s water
restriction (Appendix-B, Graph 2). This proved the hypothesis about Texan women
believing in the water restrictions for the city of Lubbock to be true. Graph 3
shows that the Texan women have kept up with current water situation of the
city, which is not true about the international women surveyed. Texas Tech being an international research
institute, the chances of the respondents not being long time residents of the
city of Lubbock or the state of Texas could be high. This could be one of the reasons
for this drastic difference of knowledge of the women surveyed.
The question about water
conservation was used to measure the attitude of Texans, non-residents and
internationals towards water conservation, eighty-four percent of the Texans
surveyed were found to be conserving water, while ninety-one percent of the non-Texans
and internationals were found to be conserving water (Appendix-B, Graph 3). Internationals
and non- Texan Americans were clearly trying to conserve water, when compared
to Texans. This disproves that the method used to obtain the survey might have
obscurely represented the knowledge of non-resident Texans and internationals.
The number of Texans blaming
the oil drillers for using more resources then should be was obviously higher
in comparison to the non-Texan and internationals. The number of Texans
believing that oil drillers were using more oil was forty-eight percent vs.
only forty-five percent of the non-Texan and internationals (Appendix-B, Graph
4).
A higher percentage of the internationals students surveyed thought that
the Lubbock’s water resources were endangered and hence were worried. A total
of only thirty-three percent of the internationals in the survey were confident
about Lubbock’s future water supply vs. fifty-nine percent of the
internationals being worried about Lubbock’s future water supply (Appendix-B, Graph 5).
Discussion:
The hypothesis about women
caring more about water conservation was proven right by the data obtained in
this survey. Sixty-five out of the seventy five women surveyed (86%) tried to
conserve water vs. only sixty out of the seventy five men surveyed (80%) tried
to conserve water (Appendix-B, Graph 1). Woman trying to conserve more water in
comparison to men is probably because women are usually the beneficiaries and
enablers of food and water for most families.
Question seven was used to
test the hypothesis about non Texan women and Texan-women believing in the
water restrictions for the city of Lubbock. Five out the sixteen non-Texan
women surveyed (31%) believed in water restrictions for the city vs. thirty out
the thirty seven Texas women surveyed (81%) believed in the city’s water
restriction (Appendix-B, Graph 2). This proved the hypothesis about Texan women
believing in the water restrictions for the city of Lubbock to be true. Graph 3
shows that the Texan women have kept up with current water situation of the
city, which is not true about the international women surveyed. Texas
Tech University has a current enrollment of more than 31,000 students.
Approximately sixty-four percent of the current student body is Caucasian, and
36% are from ethnically diverse populations. Hispanic (17.6%) and
African-American (5%) students comprise the largest ethnic populations on
campus. Approximately 7% of the student body is of foreign residency, and
approximately 84% are Texas residents. Texas
Tech being an international research institute and the class being a writing
class for international students, the chances of the respondents not being
longtime residents of the city of Lubbock or the state of Texas could be high.
This could be one of the reasons for this drastic difference of knowledge of
the women surveyed.
The question about water
conservation was used to measure the attitude of Texans, non-residents and
internationals towards water conservation, eighty-four percent of the Texans
surveyed were found to be conserving water, while ninety-one percent of the
non-Texans and internationals were found to be conserving water (Appendix-B,
Graph 3). The number of internationals and non- Texan American trying to
conserve water was clearly higher, when compared to Texans. This disproves that
the method used to obtain the survey might have obscurely represented the
knowledge of non-resident Texans and internationals.
The number of Texans blaming the
oil drillers for using more resources then they should be was obviously higher
in comparison to the non-Texan and internationals. The number of Texans
believing that oil drillers were using more oil was forty-eight percent vs.
only forty-five percent of the non-Texan and internationals (Appendix-B, Graph
4). Three years of the worst drought in Texas and decades of overuse of
the state’s water recourse had already run the water levels in most aquifers
low. Now the oil industry’s outsize demands on water for fracking are running
down reservoirs and underground aquifers. This high demand for water by the oil
industry is mainly responsible for the people’s perspective that the oil
industry is using more resource then they should be.
A higher percentage of the internationals students surveyed thought that
the Lubbock’s water resources were endangered and hence were worried. A total
of only thirty-three percent of the internationals in the survey were confident
about Lubbock’s future water supply vs. fifty-nine percent of the
internationals being worried about Lubbock’s future water supply (Appendix-B, Graph 5). The reason for
this big difference in numbers could be a couple. The international students
might be new residents of the city and could be unaware about the city’s future
water supply plan or the students could also be highly aware about the city’s
problems. Most of the international students at Texas Tech are involved in post
graduate studies; this higher level of education could a reason for their
higher knowledge about the city’s resources.
There were a few of the limitations of the survey that can be overcome
with better planning and resources. To list a few, a bigger sample size would
help better understand the people’s knowledge and attitude about Lubbock’s
water supply. The survey should focus on a greater area of Lubbock city rather
then just the Texas Tech campus, this would ensure that the diverse population
of Lubbock city is covered in the survey rather than just a small portion.
Bibliography:
Blackburn,
E. (2013, June 08). Many eyes on Lubbock's water. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
Retrieved on September 05, 2013 from http://lubbockonline.com/stories/060808/loc_287908754.shtml
Dunn. David.
(2013 Feb). Strategic Water Supply Plan for the City of Lubbock. City Of Lubbock Texas (2013). Retrieved
on Aug 2013 from http://www.mylubbock.us/docs/default-source/water-department-file-library/2013-strategic-water-supply-plan.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Lake Alan Henry and Other Water Supply Projects,
Water Conservation and Education Department. Retrieved on Sep 5th, 2013 from http://www.mylubbock.us/docs/default-source/storm-water-management/developing-water-supply-alternatives-for-lubbock.pdf?sfvrsn=0
Department
of State Health Services Population Data Lubbock. Retrieved on Dec 5th,
2013 from http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/chs/popdat/st2012.shtm
Appendix 1- Survey
I.
I
am from
a.
Texas
b.
USA,
not Texas
c.
International,
not USA
II.
I
am
a.
Student
b.
Non-student
III.
I
am
a.
Male
b.
Female
1.
Check
the issues that you feel are the most important. Check as many as you like.
a.
Rising
sea levels
b.
Global
warming
c.
Increasing
storms, tornadoes, & hurricanes
d.
Increasing
flooding
e.
Drought
f.
Fresh
water supply
g.
Fracking
and drilling and their effects
h.
Air
pollution
i.
Water
pollution
2.
Do
you know what fracking is?
a.
Yes
b.
No
3.
Do
you believe fracking endangers the public water supply?
a.
Yes
b.
No
c.
I
don’t know
4.
How
knowledgeable are you about where Lubbock gets its water supply?
a.
Very
knowledgeable
b.
Some
what
c.
Not
very
5.
Do
you know where Lubbock is getting its water for public use, now?
a.
Yes
b.
No
6.
Do
you know how Lake Meredith us related to the question of Lubbock's water
supply?
a.
Yes
b.
No
7.
Do
you believe in water restrictions for the city of Lubbock?
a.
Yes
b.
No
c.
I
don’t know
8.
Do
you think Lubbock enforces its water restrictions effectively?
a.
Yes
b.
No
c.
I
don’t know
9.
Do
you believe in water restrictions for farmers in the area?
a.
Yes
b.
No
c.
I
don’t know
10.
Do
you usually, generally, try to save
water (for example, turn it off while brushing teeth?)
a.
Yes
b.
No
11.
Which
of the people on the list take MORE
water than they should, based on the availability of the resource? Check as
many as you like.
a.
Farmers
b.
Oil
drillers
c.
People
who water their lawns
12.
Which
best describes your feelings about Lubbock's ability to get water in the
future?
a.
Confident
b.
Worried
Appendix
2- Graphs
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