Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2005DE56B

Landowner Perceptions of the Stringency of Water Quality Regulations in Delaware

Institute: Delaware
Year Established: 2005 Start Date: 2005-06-01 End Date: 2006-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $1,750 Total Non-Federal Funds: $3,500

Principal Investigators: Joshua Duke, Rhonda Hyde

Abstract: Surface water quality continues to be a critical problem in Delaware. Currently, 79% of Delawares streams and rivers are unsuitable for swimming, and 80% of Delawares year-round streams are considered moderately-to-severely damaged. Legislative initiatives, including the federal Clean Water Act and the state Nutrient Management Act, provide a rich portfolio of policies to improve Delawares water quality. Yet, waters continue to be impaired and this leads one to wonder whether new policies are needed or whether existing policies must be reconceptualized, targeted, or simply better enforced. This problem of policy shortcomings or inadequacies may be examined from various perspectives. Politicians, policy makers, and scientists likely appreciate the tradeoffs between acceptability and effectiveness required to generate workable policies. Yet, the public demands water quality services that may be entirely disconnected from the science. Finally, landowners supply water quality through their atomistic land-use behaviors in ways that do not necessarily correspond to the policy designs. This project focuses on the third source of problems in water quality policyunderstanding landowners perceptions of the policy environment.