AWWA JAW52061

Residents of four Oregon communities were surveyed about their responses to publicnotification. In the two towns that had issued public notification in response to a water problem, most residents were aware of the notices and responded by boiling their water, drinking bottled water, or both. Residents in the town with a short-term water problem were more likely than residents in the town with a long-term problem to boil water. Most respondents in both towns favored drinking bottled water over boiling water, despite a boil-water notice. The survey found that residents of these towns as well as those in two control communities considered the newspaper the primary source of information about their drinking water. The sources of information regarded as most reliable, however, were mail from the city water utility, followed by the county health department and newspapers. Most respondents reported they were willing to pay for drinking water improvements, particularly to correct chemical and microbiological contamination. Includes 45 references, table, figures.