Why is the Irrigation Running in the Rain?

The gap between what home owners’ perceptions and practices are when it comes to caring for their yard particularly their irrigation practices are contributing to the water shortages in Orange County, Florida. Residents of Orange County, Florida, were chosen as a population of interest because Orange County is included within the Central Florida Coordination Area (CFCA), an area created by the Southwest Florida, South Florida and St. Johns River Water Management Districts. The CFCA action plan limits additional groundwater withdrawals to no more than what was permitted in 2013, as new water permits will not go past 2013 unless supplemental water supplies are committed to meet demands after 2013 (CFCA 2010). Therefore, Orange County Utilities (2010) must focus on water conservation as the primary source of water for new residents. The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of homeowners in Orange County, Florida who have automated irrigation systems concerning Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) strategies that could be employed to reduce water used for lawn care.  The study also looked at the pragmatic approach of social marketing and the effectiveness of CBSM to bring about behavior change. The practical strategies used by CBSM seek to determine the barriers to behavior change and to understand the accepted societal behaviors, also known as norms. Once barriers and norms are established, the use of CBSM has a greater opportunity to be successful.

This study used qualitative research methods through the use of focus groups

The focus group participants consisted of residents from Orange County, Florida, who were determined by the water utility company to be high water users. A total of four focus groups were conducted which included 32 participants, and represented 20 different homeowner associations (HOA’s).

Emerging themes for barriers revealed pressure from the HOAs to have perfect grass, lack of knowledge about proper lawn care, confusion over when to water per week and the inability to use the irrigation timer correctly. Participants indicated that the norm was to abide by the water restrictions and have a nice lawn. The responses also indicated that following water restrictions was their primary means of conservation.

Using CBSM strategies, a program tailored to the target audience (HOAs) should be created to encourage pro-environmental behavior change.