ERI: Analyzing the Impact of Outdoor Water-Use Restrictions and the COVID-19 Pandemic on Water Consumption in Massachusetts

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。该工程研究启动（ERI）项目将提供对马萨诸塞州户外用水限制对用水量影响的关键理解。尽管降雨量相对充足，而且有取水规定，但马萨诸塞州的供水还是很紧张。因此，公共供水商经常被监管机构要求实施室外用水限制。这些限制是复杂、不统一和有争议的，而COVID-19大流行是另一个混淆因素。该项目是在美国任何地方以全州规模实施的第一个此类项目，将（a）提供新的见解，以促进主要河流流域规模的水资源综合管理，（B）提供全面分析，为监管行动提供信息，（c）增强公共供水商对影响限制效力的因素的了解。此外，该项目将确定大流行的影响，从而提供有关马萨诸塞州供水系统恢复能力的知识，并揭示在未来不可预见的情况下确保供水的重要经验教训。最后，该项目将为本科生和硕士生（包括少数民族/代表性不足的群体）提供有意义的研究经验，从而带来宝贵的好处，如提高独立性和内在的学习动机。该项目包括开发一个面板回归模型，并辅以采访公共供水管理人员。面板回归将基于所有马萨诸塞州公共供水商11年的月度数据，用水量作为因变量，用水量的驱动因素作为自变量。消费驱动因素分为三大类：水文气象条件（例如，降水、温度和干旱状态），消费者特征（例如，收入、家庭规模和政治派别），以及公共供水管理决策（例如，限制的严格程度和时间，促进节水和定价）。其他独立变量将用于代表不透水或绿色区域，并说明大流行的存在和严重程度。与水管理人员的访谈将用于创建指导小组回归的发展和解释的故事情节。访谈问题的重点是需求和干旱管理，以及疫情如何影响用水量。该项目将提供第一个全州范围内的用水限制评估，将在美国任何地方进行，将产生对干旱和永久性限制的有效性的见解，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持的搜索.

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) project will provide critical understanding of the impacts of outdoor water-use restrictions on water consumption in Massachusetts. Despite relatively abundant rainfall and regulations on water withdrawal, Massachusetts’ water supplies are stressed. Consequently, public water suppliers are often required to implement outdoor water-use restrictions by the regulatory authority. These restrictions are complex, non-uniform, and contentious, and the COVID-19 pandemic is yet another confounding factor. This project, the first of its kind to be implemented at a state-wide scale anywhere in the United States, will (a) provide new insights to facilitate integrated water resources management at the scale of major river basins, (b) provide comprehensive analysis to inform regulatory action, and (c) empower public water suppliers with improved understanding of the factors influencing restriction effectiveness. Furthermore, this project will identify the impact of the pandemic, thus providing knowledge about the resilience of Massachusetts’ water supply systems and revealing important lessons for ensuring water supply under future unforeseen conditions. Lastly, this project will provide meaningful research experiences for undergraduate and master students, including those in minority/underrepresented groups, resulting in valuable benefits such as increased independence and intrinsic motivation to learn.The project consists of developing a panel regression model, complemented by interviewing public supply water managers. The panel regression will be based on 11 years of monthly data across all Massachusetts’ public water suppliers, with water consumption as the dependent variable and drivers of consumption as the independent variables. The consumption drivers fall into three main categories: hydrometeorological conditions (e.g., precipitation, temperature, and drought status), consumer characteristics (e.g., income, household size, and political affiliation), and public water supplier management decisions (e.g., restriction severity and timing, promotion of water conservation, and pricing). Additional independent variables will be used to represent impervious or green area and to address the presence and severity of the pandemic. The interviews with water managers will be used to create storylines that guide the development and interpretation of the panel regression. The interview questions focus on demand and drought management and on how the pandemic has affected water consumption. The project will provide the first state-wide assessment of water-use restrictions to be performed anywhere in the United States, will generate insight on the effectiveness of both drought-based and permanent restrictions, and will identify the impacts of the pandemic on water consumption.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.