Community Water Preferences

Title: Rural Iowa Communities’ Water Quality Awareness, Engagement, and Policy Preferences  

Practice: Multi-objective

Location: Statewide - multiple counties across Iowa including Dubuque, Jackson, and Polk 

Time Period: 2024 - 2026

Research Team: Katherine Dentzman, J Arbuckle, Joe Hollis, and Sydney Etten

Project Description: This project will use Geographic Information System (GIS) modeling, focus groups, interviews, and existing survey data to assess attitudes and awareness of water quality issues in rural Iowan communities. Additionally, we will investigate residents’ awareness of these issues and associated programs aimed at tackling them. Much of the current literature related to this topic focuses on farmers’ perspectives on water quality issues. However, buy-in from wider rural communities may have a significant impact on the success of both initiative development and implementation. We therefore aim to close this research gap. GIS software will be used to create visually striking maps that will both inform our community selection and articulate our findings to stakeholders. Focus groups and follow-up interviews will allow us to identify rural citizen’s attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors linked to water quality issues and associated programs. Existing survey data will also serve to inform our questioning and supplement GIS data. At the conclusion of this project, we will produce a series of technical reports and policy briefs tailored to communities and policymakers. Additionally, a working paper will be produced with the aim of disseminating our findings to improve water-quality initiatives and community outreach. 

Publications: One outcome of the project is the Maquoketa Water Quality Indicator Dashboard, available here: https:// go.iastate.edu/QPQGZE 

Funders: Iowa Nutrient Research Center