Physical and Chemical Predictors of Human Perceptions of Water Quality in Southwestern Ozark Rivers

English Abstract:

The rivers of Arkansas' southwestern Ozarks are ecologically, culturally, and economically significant. They support rich biodiversity and high endemism, and are popular public recreation destinations. The capacity to communicate effectively between human groups with vested interest in these rivers hinges on understanding the nature of water resource perceptions and the extent to which they vary intra-culturally. Ozark rivers are revered in the region and hold special designations by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality for their ecologic and scenic value. To investigate perceptions of water quality we deployed surveys and conducted interviews with water quality experts and non-experts. A pile-sort task was administered using images of the five rivers, for which we also collected chemical and physical data. Preliminary results indicate (1) cultural consensus in perceptions of water quality exists among all respondents and (2) water quality perceptions can be predicted by total suspended solids concentrations, chlorophyll-a concentrations, color, and horizontal visibility. The consensus suggests that human evaluation of water quality is guided by culturally-constructed criteria, regardless of respondent expertise. These results also imply that measured physical and chemical parameters may be communicated meaningfully across groups in terms of how they relate to visible attributes. A defined range of measured parameters may also be linked to favorable or unfavorable user perception that can inform resource management.