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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
3.1 People think the water environment is important. This is primarily due to our need for drinking water and for health reasons, but is also in terms of its significance for nature and wildlife. However, compared to other environmental behaviours, reducing domestic water consumption does not appear to rank highly, with fewer people taking action to conserve water than energy. This may be due to a number of reasons: general lack of concern about water supply, limited knowledge of the environmental impact of the processes involved in the supply of water for domestic use, or a lack of other motivating factors (such as financial cost to the individual) to change people's actions.
3.2 In general, most people think that the quality of Scotland's water environment is good, although there is a perception that coastal waters around Scotland are of a lesser quality than lochs, rivers and streams, and that the quality of the water environment is poorer in urban areas than in rural areas.
3.3 It is, therefore, not surprising that views on priorities for improvement relate more strongly to areas where current provision is perceived to be weakest (rather than where it might be most important). The quality of coastal waters around urban areas, ensuring against the risk of flooding, and preventing damage to wildlife habitats were considered priorities for better service provision by more people in comparison to ensuring a reliable water supply for homes and industry.
3.4 Pollution and sewage are seen as the biggest threats to Scotland's water environment. Water extraction and various hydrological engineering works are considered less of a threat, although it should be borne in mind that probably fewer people would feel able to assess the threat of hydrological engineering works.
3.5 With regard to the future, most people think that the water environment will neither improve nor deteriorate in the next five years, but that it is likely to stay much the same. More people expected improvements than expected deterioration, with men being more optimistic than women and older people more optimistic than younger people.
3.6 It is perhaps surprising that 28% of people think that it is likely that Scotland will suffer from serious water shortages in the future, with women more likely than men to express this view.
3.7 In summary, the public think that the water environment is important, of good quality and likely to stay that way. While people have, undoubtedly, become more aware of environmental issues over the last decade, a lack of awareness and knowledge of key issues for the water environment, and, indeed, an apparent complacency suggest the challenge that may exist to engage the general public in its management. Responding to this challenge may include how to persuade them of the need for stricter controls or of investment in quality-improvement, and how to convince them of the need to conserve water and their potential role in this. The issues facing the water environment are more complex than simply ensuring that supply meets demand, but it may be that people are less sensitive to issues of quantity than those of quality.
3.8 Furthermore, the indirect environmental impacts of ensuring water supplies - for example, the energy involved in processing - may not be commonly understood or appreciated. Actions to raise the awareness of the various wider environmental implications of meeting the demand for water should be considered if we are to encourage sustainable use of our water resources in the spirit of the principles of the Water Framework Directive.
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