Water use, wastewater disposal, and water conservation attitudes in the Monteverde zone

The residents of the zone of Monteverde, Costa Rica represent a wide array of demographics and other factors such as income, education level, town of residence, and water source, which may impact their water use, wastewater disposal, and water conservation attitudes. In order to study these relationships, a survey was conducted in four different Monteverde towns. The survey consisted of questions on demographic variables, water consumption patterns, methods of disposal, and water shortages, and lastly, addressed attitudes toward water conservation. Data were collected from 64 surveys and analyzed using regression analyses and chi-squared tests. Thirteen significant results and several trends were found. Income, education level, and location of residence played a significant role in several response variables such as water source protection and perceived water problems in Monteverde. The most significant trend, perhaps, came from Monteverde residents whose water comes from streams. This group of people was significantly unsatisfied with quality, quantity, and water source protection. They also perceived significant water problems in Monteverde and believed that the federal government was the responsible party for making needed improvements. Several people interviewed whose water is from streams were concerned with the health effects from these unprotected water sources, indicating a need for future studies. Los residentes de la zona de Monteverde, Costa Rica representan un gran rango de características demográficas y otros factores como ingresos, educación, área de residencia, y fuente de agua, que pueden afectar su consumo del agua, disposición de las aguas residuales y las actitudes de la conservación del agua. Para poder estudiar estas relaciones, se realizó una encuesta en cuatro pueblos diferentes de Monteverde. La encuesta consistió en preguntas sobre las variables demográficas, patrones del consumo de agua, método de tratamiento de residuos, la escasez de agua, y, por último, actitudes dirigidas hacia la conservación del agua.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/1518/thumbnail.jp