Sociodemographic influences on Australian urban water practitioners’ risk perceptions towards stormwater harvesting and quality treatment systems

Risk assessment of traditional stormwater systems has focused on flooding issues but, for
stormwater harvesting and quality treatment systems, risk management is likely to involve a broader range of risks. Although risk perceptions are acknowledged in ranking management priorities, covert risk perceptions need to be understood to allow critical reflection on their wider influence in risk management activities and their outcomes. However, risk perceptions might not be shared amongst practitioners but vary with such personal and professional attributes as field of study or organisational affiliation. Thus, this study explores the influence of various sociodemographic attributes on water practitioners’ risk perceptions of stormwater harvesting and quality treatment systems. Analysis of risk perception data collected from Australian urban water practitioners (N=620) in a national on-line survey revealed that a practitioner’s work area, stakeholder group and/or primary qualification can influence perceptions of general risk of stormwater harvesting systems, of specific risks that might be associated with stormwater harvesting and treatment systems, i.e. environmental risk, flooding risk, aesthetic risk, technological risk, public health risk, political risk and risk of loss of reputation, and of risk of drinking or showering with treated stormwater. These different risk perceptions are likely to be unacknowledged in urban water management but could contribute to reluctance by some to implement alternative urban stormwater systems. Now that these covert risk perceptions are revealed, strategies can be developed to overcome them. Dedicated social learning through experimentation is one.