Marie Light

Stormwater Management Program

Pima County

2014 MS4 Summit June 4, 2014 8:30 – 4:00

2013 Phone Survey Public Perceptions and Practices

towards Stormwater in Pima County

Phone Survey

Survey Design

Survey Implementation

Questions & Responses

Lessons Learned

2

SURVEY DESIGN

3

Purpose: measure public’s perception and behavior

Level of seriousness of stormwater pollution

Degree specific pollutant plays a role

Methods of disposing toxic materials

Medium selected: Phone

Representative of population

Minimal bias

Able to ask complex questions

Respondent can ask questions

MS4s in Pima County

4

What we knew prior to survey Water quality issues

E. Coli

Copper

Zinc, occasionally

Lead, occasionally

VOCs, rarely

1200 Environmental complaints

Air 8%

Water 17%

Solid waste 75%

Other 0.2%

5

Behaviors interested in modifying

1. Pet owners pick up pet waste.

2. People properly dispose of trash, rather than dumping in backyards or washes.

SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION

6

• Random survey by zip code and population density

• Eastern Pima County, including cities & towns

• 504 households

• Men and women age 16 or older

• Conducted in English and Spanish

Logistics of the Phone Survey

• Calls placed during first two weeks of June 2013, just after outreach campaign

• Questions

• 15 - demographics of household

• 14 - air quality and travel attitudes

• 6 - stormwater awareness and practices

• Survey lasted about 14 minutes

7

44%

12%7% 6% 4%

35%

River or wash Sewage plants Groundwater Water plants Canals Don't know/Not sure

Where does the storm water that flows into drains end up?

9

How much of a problem do think there is in the Tucson area with polluting materials entering

storm drains?

16%

43%41%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Serious problem (7-9) Moderate problem (4-6) Not a problem (1-3)

How much do you think each of the following contributes to the problem of storm water pollution?

11

0% 20% 40% 60%

Hazardous waste collection site

Auto parts store

Put in the garbage

Service station

Landfill

Pour in the sink or down the drain

Recycle

Some other method

Don’t use these products/Use them up

Not sure/Don’t know

Tell me if you or some one in your household uses this method to dispose of the listed items.

12

If you saw someone dumping trash or chemicals into a storm drain or a wash and wanted to report them,

who would you call to report the incident?

LESSONS LEARNED 1/3 respondents did not know…

Where stormwater goes

Who to call for illegal dumping

Animal waste is #1 issue

What we knew after the survey

Profile of people discounting impact of pet waste

Disposal methods of toxic compounds, but not trash.

13

Urban water flow

Target trash areas

Modify target group

Urban Water Flow

14

1. Natural path • Flow over land surface • Collect in wash • Flow in wash

2. Man-made path • Flow in road • Collect in catch basin • Flow in stormdrain • Discharge to wash • Flow in wash

Target Areas With Trash Complaints

15

Environmental

Complaints

By Category

Refined Message for Areas with Trash Impacts of dumping trash

Good habits of “Water Protectors”

1. Dispose of waste properly

Landfills

Permitted solid waste haulers

2. Recycle wastes

HHW Program

Use of alternative chemicals

3. Citizen volunteer programs

Agencies and contact information

16

23% of Tucson area Citizens Think Pet Waste is not a Stormwater Problem

Northwest side of town

Men

66 or older

6 – 10 years resident in Tucson

White

High income households (>$40,000/year)

Most formally educated

17

Contact Information

Pima County Stormwater Management Program

Marie Light 520-724-7457 marie.light@pima.gov

.

18

Phone survey showed:

1. 84% see stormwater pollution as a problem.

2. There are misconceptions about the cause of pollution.

3. Specific populations have misconceptions allowing us to

formulate a meaningful message.

4. Largest problem may be lack of information.