Susan Berry, Joseph Molnar, and Jesse LaPrade

North Alabama's Flint Creek Watershed has been identified as a target for special efforts to improve environmental quality.

It also has been used as a “teachable moment” to increase awareness of environmental issues and spur community involvement. A recent AAES study evaluated the effectiveness of those educational efforts in the watershed and results indicate more educational efforts should be undertaken.

Flint Creek is a major tributary to the Wheeler Reservoir and the Tennessee River. The Flint Creek Watershed encompasses approximately 290,000 acres in three counties: part of Morgan, and minor parts of Lawrence and Cullman. Major sources of waste discharge in the watershed are from six communities and a number of public and private facilities in the area. About 36,000 people inhabit in the area. The land mass is dispersed among small towns, rural residences, and farms. About 25.9 percent of Morgan County's land is farms.

As with many Alabama watersheds, Flint Creek absorbs a large amount of residential waste, agricultural runoff, and municipal sewage discharge. Some of the resulting water quality problems are due to unique natural conditions but many are due to human failure. That is, land owners and residents in the area could do more to prevent pollution. The Flint Creek Watershed project is one effort to educate individuals about the consequences of their actions and to promote environmentally friendly practices on farms and residences.

Data were obtained in telephone interviews from a random digit dialing sample of 410 residents in Morgan County and parts of two adjacent counties in February through March, 1998. The sample included residents in the watershed area, but excluded businesses and respondents under age 18. Maps of telephone exchanges, watershed boundaries, and screen questions were used to select respondents in households within the watershed boundaries. Five attempts were made to obtain interviews with each sample household, resulting in a 76% completion rate among contacted respondents.

The Flint Creek Watershed Project initiated a variety of activities to promote awareness of the nature and extent and sources of pollution within the watershed. These efforts directed toward environmental education are the focus of the study.

Four domains of program impact were examined: awareness, interest, desire, and action. These indicators gauge selected aspects of each domain of the program's effect on residents of the watershed.

Four indicators of program awareness compare the Flint Creek Watershed Project efforts to other environmental education programs and measure basic knowledge about the watershed. With respect to awareness, more than half the sample had heard of the Flint Creek Watershed Project. About 20% were sure of the location of the watershed. As a point of contrast, only 18% had heard of the Alabama Water Watch Program and about 21% had heard of People Against a Littered State, two important environmental educational programs that were recently initiated in the area.

The interest in this area reflects the degree to which respondents had been stimulated by environmental matters. Regarding interest, more than 40% of the respondents with children indicated that their children had changed the parents’ thinking toward environmental issues. About 40% indicated an interest in local environmental affairs. More than 32% indicated that they felt a great deal of concern for environmental problems. Interest in actually improving water quality in the Flint Creek Watershed, however, narrowed to 23% of the sample.

Indicators of desire reflect intentions or willingness to participate in environmental improvement efforts. In evaluating desire, about 48% said they would participate in education programs. In contrast, 28% expressed a desire to be more involved in the Flint Creek Clean-Up Day. Approximately 22% conveyed a desire to be more involved with the Wet N’ Wild Festival. About 13% indicated a desire to become more involved in the Storm Drain Stencil Project. The latter three activities are specific programs that are available to watershed residents.

Action is the area of impacts reflecting the extent to which respondents engaged in actual behaviors linked to program objectives. About 8% actually participated in the Flint Creek Clean-Up Day. Participation in Flint Creek Wet N’ Wild festival was about 7%. In comparison, about 6% reported membership in environmental or conservation organizations. About 3% belong to a citizen’s group that monitors environmental problems in the area.

Results show that more than half the respondents had heard of the Flint Creek Watershed Project, although slightly fewer said they knew where it is located. The data reveal a moderate level of interest in environmental issues, but the desire to participate in clean-up efforts was limited to about a quarter of the sample. Only a narrow segment actually participated in activities provided by the Flint Creek Watershed Project. Clean-up efforts were least likely to draw participation.

The findings point to a continuing need to better inform community members about ways that water quality can be improved. Many adults change practices when presented information that enables greater understanding of their own contribution to pollution and its consequences. Attitude changes from new understandings are a basic part of efforts to improve water quality. In turn, changes in individual habits will benefit the watershed and the overall environment. This is the fundamental objective of public education.

Many respondents indicated they would be willing to participate in an education program, expressing a desire for greater knowledge about their environment. As residents better understand the implications of their actions, positive environmental consequences should be obtained. Research on the technical aspects of water quality must be complemented by systematic efforts to communicate with and involve residents. Such measures are necessary if we are to achieve enduring changes in farm management and household practice that will lead to an improved environment.