Understanding drivers of local water quality perception in the Lake Erie Basin

In recent years, Lake Erie has seen a surge in harmful algal blooms, largely attributed to climatic changes and agricultural runoff in the Maumee River Watershed. These trends are shared in other watersheds across the Great Lakes and throughout the world. The actions of local citizens can improve local water quality, but action is unlikely to occur if the local community does not perceive problems with local water quality. While much of the literature focuses on how organoleptic properties (e.g., water quality is considered good if it smells and looks good) and demographic factors explain public perceptions, this study assesses more proximate indicators–including trust in those communicating about and managing water quality and pro-environmental values. We assess relationships among these variables among urban and rural residents in the Maumee River Watershed. Our results indicate that greater trust in agricultural organizations and local government was consistently associated with better perceived water quality. Future research should focus on how influential sources of information about water quality are presenting local water quality issues, as exploratory analyses support the idea that individuals with connections to agriculture, and affiliating as Republican, may be using a trust heuristic to assess local water quality. In other words, in the absence of actual metrics of water quality, beliefs about water quality may be formed based on who is most trusted. The results also indicate that assumptions about how a local community perceives local water quality can be based on particular identifying characteristics, such as political affiliation.