Proposal(SG)

Proposal for a Study of Peoples’ Attitude and Awareness of Lubbock Water Crisis.

Introduction

Water conservation is an important issue in many parts of the United States. Water supply shortages have become more frequent, and by 2050, more than one-third of all U.S. counties are expected to face a significantly higher risk of water shortage (Spencer and Altman, 2010). Water pollution, population growth, and climate change are expected to increase stresses on water resources. Water conservation and protection of water quality are of increasing interest to both water suppliers and water users. Water supply in Texas comes from both surface water and aquifers. Surface water occurs naturally in rivers and creeks which run generally from the northwest to the southeast, and in stock tanks, ponds, and lakes—most of which are man-made. Groundwater occurs in the Ogallala aquifers, oriented perpendicularly to Texas rivers and parallel to the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. Lubbock is located in the northwestern part of Texas state and ecologically is part of the southern end of the Western High Plains (Wikipedia) in a largely cotton-growing and livestock farming area and is one of the fastest growing cities in west Texas. For many years, Lake Meredith was Lubbock's primary source of water (Reed, 2012). But the drought and the lack of precipitation has dried up the lake completely. City water currently comes from two well fields in Roberts County and Bailey County and one lake, Lake Allen Henry. The Lubbock Water Department has applauded that the City is constantly exploring water sources for Lubbock and they have made plans for the residents for the next 100 years (Lubbock Water Department, 2013). In previous years Lubbock has had recurring drought and hotter temperature. Therefore Lubbock has been scared about the possibility of having no water. The City of Lubbock has implemented various strategies to conserve water to overcome the water crisis including public education and awareness, seasonal watering restrictions, increased water volume rate, reducing unaccounted water losses, etc. Generally, people’s perception about water is an important factor which influences the water use policies. I think working on people’s attitudes and beliefs about water are essential. The purpose of this study is that, we wanted to find out about peoples’ awareness of where Lubbock gets its water supply and what striking features caused Lubbock water to be in danger. And also we wanted to study what people believed about the City of Lubbock water restrictions and how they actively participate to save water. In this worthwhile study we focused on the differences in perception of between male and female, between students and residents and among internationals, non-Texas Americans, and Texans.

Background Study

In the news (KCBD, 2012), an article titled on “Lubbock’s water crisis, how did we get there?”, Mayor Tom Martin admitted he was concerned about the possibility of having no water, because Lake Meredith was dried up  and that was Lubbock's primary source of water. After it dried up the City of Lubbock had to rely on just the well fields. He said that “We're having to limit water usage during the summer, because the usage has gone way up and once Lake Alan Henry is online, our situation is much improved for the next 4, 6, 7 or 8 years”. An article in ClimateProgressor (2012) entitled “Portrait of a Drought: Finding Water where It Ain’t” said that West Texas is on the front lines of a changing climate, and scarce water is the most obvious symptom, because it is specially highlighted that ground water supplies are endangered   because of tempest of hotter temperatures, more people, water-sapping cotton farming and a devastating 2011 drought. Conkwright, general manager of the High Plains Underground Conservation Water District #1, headquartered in Lubbock said “Farmers are being required to install water meters to ensure they don’t exceed their limits. This is an inappropriate effort to conserve Ogallala Aquifer. It seems like adding salt to the wound”, (Agrilife, 2013, Mar. 12). According to the Wall Street Journal (2013, Aug. 1), “Severe drought continues to threaten the water supply of large parts of the Western U.S. According to a group that monitors drought conditions, Lubbock, Texas has averaged the worst level of drought since the beginning of 2011”. It opened people’s eyes towards the future of Lubbock city and its limited resources, in particular, water.

Hypothesis

Based on this study I come up with six following hypotheses that concern this Lubbock water crisis. First, we believe that women would more care about water than do men. That is because usually women are more responsible for day-today household activities within their families such as cooking, taking care of kids, cleaning the house, gardening work, etc. Second, residents would care more about water than do non-residents, because residents need water for a long period of time, while non-residents may stay in Lubbock for a short period of time, hence they only consider their water needs. Third, residents would be more probable to agree to water restriction than non-residents because non-residents might live in Lubbock for a short period of time; hence they don’t practice using less water to save for the future. Sometimes, they have not experienced any water problem in their home town; accordingly they don’t have attitude to save water. Fourth, men would be more like to agree to water restriction than women, because women might care about the water to fulfill their family needs without any restrictions to their household activities. Fifth, non-students would have more concern about saving water than students, because the students have concentrated on their studies or they may plan to leave Lubbock after graduating to find a job, but most of non-students are Lubbock residents who have lived for a long period of time in Lubbock and they think about rest of their life living in Lubbock and saving water for their children’s future. Sixth, students would be less knowledgeable about fracking than would be non-students because students might be aware of the water crisis in Lubbock they wouldn’t care what about the potential causes. For an example, I myself don’t know what fracking is.

Bibliography

Burns, R. (2013, Mar. 12). Texas crop, weather for March 12, 2013. Agrilife. Retrieved from Sep. 17, 2013 from http://today.agrilife.org/2013/03/12/texas-crop-whether-95/

City Of Lubbock Texas (2013), Strategic Water Supply Plan for the City of Lubbock, Retrieved on Sep. 17, 2013 from http://www.mylubbock.us/docs/default-source/water-department-file-library/2013- strategic-water-supply-lan.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Fleming, P. (2012, October 19). Portrait of a Drought: Finding Water Where It Ain’t. ClimateProgress. Rtrieved on September 29, 2013 from http://thinkprogress.org/climate/climate/2012/10/19/ 1052091/portrait-of-a-drought-finding-water-where-it-aint/

Gonzalez, E. (2012, Aug. 6). Should we vote on fracking? Retrieved on Oct 3, 2013 from http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2012-08-06/should-we-vote-fracking#.UnHPPY0jK4Q

KCBD News. (2005, Nov. 5). Lubbock's Water Crisis: Keys to the Future. Retrieved on Sep 26, 2013 from http://www.kcbd.com/story/4129560/lubbocks-water-crisis-keys-to-the-future

KCBD News. (2013, Aug. 16). City of Lubbock disputes water shortage claims. Retrieved on Sep 26, 2013 from http://www.kcbd.com/story/23156106/city-of-lubbock-disputes-water-shortage-claims

Lubbock Water Department.  Retrieved on Sep 26, 2013 from http://www.mylubbock.us/departmental-websites/departments/water-department/home

Magelssen ,T. (2012, Mar. 12). Hydraulic fracturing experts discuss problems associated with process. Retrieved on Oct 3, 2013 http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2012-03-12/hydraulic-fracturing- experts-discuss-problems-associated-process#.Uk2OSI0jLXa

Reed, A. (2012, February 9). Lubbock's water crisis, how did we get here? KCBD. Retrieved on September 30, 2013 from http://www.kcbd.com/story/16903788/lubbocks-water-crisis-how-did- we-get-here

Sauter, M.B., and Hess, A.E.M. (2013, Aug. 1). Nine cities running out of water. 24/7 Wall Street. Retrieved on Sep. 17, 2013 from http://247wallst.com/Special-report/3013/08/01nine-cities-running-out-of-water

Spencer, T., and P. Altman. 2010. Climate change, water, and risk: Current water demands are not sustainable. Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC. http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/ watersustainability/files/WaterRisk.pdf (accessed 29 Aug. 2013).

Water use in United States (2013, Jan. 28). National Atlas of the United States. US Government.  Retrieved on Sep. 23, 2013 from http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/water/a_wateruse.html