Household drinking water consumption: a qualitative system approach

Abstract

The Netherlands is known as a water-rich country with high-quality drinking water services. However, under the current conditions, it is expected that there will be insufficient drinking water supply by 2030. In this study, we developed a qualitative dynamic system to identify the drivers and barriers of the dynamic processes that explain household drinking water consumption. A causal loop diagram was constructed as a working theory on how household drinking water consumption could develop over time. System archetypes were used to explain the potential dynamic behavior of sub-models. Motivation to save water, hedonic motivation, security of supply and water price are the linking variables between the sub-models. Sub-model analysis reveals that hedonic motivation and drought response are the main barriers to reducing drinking water consumption. Social norms and water-saving experience are the drivers of reducing drinking water consumption by households. We discuss how smart meters and setting legal requirements can provide promising interventions with the potential to facilitate these drivers. We recommend future research to develop a simulation model to test the dynamic structure and to further investigate the impact of hedonic motivation as a barrier to saving drinking water.