AWWA JAW31488

Human beings are not particularly rational, and one way in which that fact is apparent is how people perceive issues of risk and safety. Risk perception is influenced by complicated social, cultural, and psychological factors as well as by objective information. Water, which is essential to life, has a unique role in people's emotional associations. Notions of water contamination convey threats of sickness; notions of water purity convey suggestions of health and safety. Heightened public awareness about environmental problems has magnified people's concern about the quality of drinking water, even in the absence of any degradation of that quality. Utilities should respect the concerns, values, and wisdom that are inherent in people's perceptions of risk. The issue of control is fundamental in risk perception, and so it is important to include in the utility's decisionmaking process those affected by or concerned with the decisions. Water professionals who understand risk perception can improve a utility's communication with the public and news media. The author provides examples of how the Portland, Oregon, Water Bureau has put these guidelines into practice. Includes 18 references, tables.