| This dissertation focuses on the roles of local government in successfully mandating and implementing water conservation mechanisms. While water supply planning has been the traditional purview of water districts in many states and countries, a number of factors are converging to thrust water supply responsibility on local government. This research explores the following questions: (1) what role(s) have local governments effectively assumed in encouraging and/or causing water conservation within their jurisdictions? (2) How have local governments applied conservation to existing homeowners and how have homeowner associations impeded or assisted these efforts? (3) What effects do a household's landscape aesthetic, conservation knowledge, positions on market versus regulation, and environmental beliefs have on household water consumption levels? (4) What are the implications of current planning practices with respect to water conservation and where should there be improvements?;To answer these questions, the dissertation employs an economic and legal literature review; key informant interviews with planners, homeowner association boards, water districts, and developers in the case study areas of Santa Rosa, CA, the Irvine Ranch Water District service area and the Long Island Pine Barrens in New York; and an individual household-level survey administered in Santa Rosa, CA combined with associated household water consumption data. The research reveals that planners are playing an increasingly important role in water conservation because planning has the tools to both incentivize and to require water conservation as part of ongoing land use regulation.;Water conservation is being encouraged through an integrated program of semi-permanent water conserving hardware and fixtures, lot size constraints, and landscape designs that minimize outdoor water use. The individual choice to conserve is influenced by landscape aesthetic ("lawn lust"), income, demographics, the homeowner's ethics, and whether the home is part of a homeowners association. Well-crafted plans and ordinances can integrate measures and strategies in locally-appropriate amalgamations that allow planners to guide their communities toward a healthy future despite water constraint. It is recommended that future planning efforts integrate public education, incentives and regulations with a particular focus on outdoor water use and conservation options. |
