Even During Drought Conditions, Georgians are Unconcerned About Water

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA--(Marketwired - Aug. 24, 2016) - Georgia's water infrastructure loses millions of gallons of water every year but it would seem the majority of Georgians are unconcerned about pouring dollars down the drain, according to a recent statewide survey conducted by FluksAqua.

With severe drought conditions currently affecting several counties across Georgia, the survey's results reveal a lack of public awareness of the state's aging water infrastructure and resulting water loss which amounts to nearly 78,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools every year. The majority of Georgia residents polled are either unaware or unconcerned about their state's severe water loss and say they are largely unwilling to pay more money to prevent water wastage.

Key Findings of the Survey:

Georgians do not have water loss on their minds:

• An overwhelming 73.4% of all respondents are not concerned about water loss in Georgia's drinking water system
  
  
• 44.0% of all respondents are not willing to spend more money to stop wasting water, while an additional 27.9% of respondents stated they would pay "no more than $50 per year."
  
  
• 62.9% of Georgia respondents "don't know" whether Georgia is spending enough on water infrastructure.
  
  
• A mere 12.0% of all Georgians polled selected "preserving water supply" as the most important environmental issue, while a majority of 38.5% of respondents said "they did not know" what the most important issue was.
  
  

"Unfortunately, there is a lack of public awareness relating to water loss not only in Georgia, but across the country," says Hubert Colas, President of FluksAqua Americas. "Georgia has a naturally abundant water supply, however rains that replenish the system do not fall equally across the state and growing population in major centers is taxing the system. The state and water utilities must be proactive in educating its public on the realities of water shortage in their regions."

Additional Findings of the Survey:

• Men are considerably less concerned about the state's deficient water infrastructure at 44% compared to 30.9% of women.
  
  
• Suburban respondents are significantly more concerned about local water infrastructure (44.0%) than their rural and urban counterparts (33.3% and 28.9% of respondents respectively.)
  
  
• 76.9% of high-income earners (earning $100,000+ per year) are uncertain whether Georgia spends enough on maintaining the state's water infrastructure.
  
  

"People forget that water is a natural resource and - like all natural resources - will run out if we abuse it," insists Colas. "The issue of water leakage can no longer be ignored."

About the Survey:

The Google survey polled the general population of Georgia, USA on the Google Consumer Surveys publisher network. The online survey was conducted on July 21, 2016.

About FluksAqua:

FluksAqua is a new online community created by a dedicated group of water and wastewater professionals to facilitate a constant and interactive flow of information between operators and professionals on issues of water safety, infrastructure, conservation and optimization.