New Mexicans Would Spend Tax Dollars on Water Only Before Welfare

90.1% would spend on expenses other than life sustaining water system

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - While slightly cooler summer weather in New Mexico may have cooled concern over the state's water system, New Mexico may be taking their clean water access for granted. An abundance of  drinkable tap water could be creating apathy for water-related environmental concerns. According to a survey by FluksAqua, a free water and wastewater utility forum, New Mexicans were luke-warm when asked about water and how vital it is to their everyday lives.                                   

Key Findings of the Survey:

Water … only after Welfare:

Only a small number of New Mexicans would choose to invest in water systems with their tax dollars (9.9%) and only after education (30.9%), healthcare, (21.2%), infrastructure (13.6%), security (11.5%) and roads and highways (10.3%.)  In fact, the only tax dollar spend they would choose to avoid more is welfare (2.7%).

New Mexicans overwhelmingly rely on water first when it matters:

When asked what is the most important item when prepping for a natural disaster, a definitive 67.2% of New Mexicans would secure water first compared to communication (11.2%), food (10.8%,) money (4.4%), batteries (4.0%), and lighting sources (2.5%).

New Mexicans drink a lot of water:

• 46.6% of New Mexicans drink three to six 8 ounce glasses of water a day.

But they may not care about keeping the water flowing:

• 90.1% of New Mexicans would spend their tax dollars on other industries before spending on the water system.
  
  
• 42.3% believe that education is a more undervalued public industry than water and wastewater operation (14.2%).

New Mexicans would rather be water operators than lawyers:

•  When asked to reveal their childhood dream job, water operator (6.3%), took second-to-last place, before lawyer (1.0%).

"Everyone is concerned about water when your grass is brown or fire risks are high but they quickly forget about it when the grass is green and the water is flowing," says Dr. Hubert Colas, President of FluksAqua Americas. "We need to prioritize the water system year-round, not just in drought season, for it to remain in good health."

About FluksAqua:
FluksAqua (www.fluksaqua.ca/en/) is the world's largest online community created by a dedicated group of water and wastewater professionals to facilitate a constant and interactive flow of information between operators and professionals on issues of water safety, infrastructure, conservation and optimization.

SOURCE FluksAqua