UNIVERSITY of Sydney student researcher Fayanne Cui was struck by something when she visited Bathurst last October.
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"I was surprised by the efforts the town goes towards in ensuring water conservation," she said.
"I'm a resident of Sydney, where I do think water conservation measures are lacking and motivations behind water conservation are not clear among residents, water authorities or the local council.
"I was struck by this disparity enough to focus my university coursework this semester to investigate this comparison."
Ms Cui was in Bathurst last October as part of a fieldwork component in her environmental studies major at university.
"I attended a presentation with local councillors discussing Bathurst's town planning and water conservation plans heading towards 'Day Zero' [the projected date when the city will run out of water], which emphasised the severity of water shortages that Bathurst may face in the future.
"I was surprised by the significant material available to the public about water saving measures and was thus curious to investigate the impact such material has on a resident's motivations and adoption of water conservation strategies.
"Additionally, there were water conscious details such as drought-resistant gardens in CSU campus, which speaks to thoughtful urban planning.
"However, whether this extended to the rest of Bathurst is something I am investigating further, particularly in personal residential gardens.
"At that point when I visited, level three water restrictions were present, while Sydney was on level one, which entailed significant differences in what was required from residents in each location.
"These all influenced my project, with a focus on how geographical location impacts water conservation attitudes and behaviours and perceptions of fairness from the vantage point of residents from each location."
Ms Cui says her study has the potential "to improve water conservation strategies and fill a geographic gap in the existing body of research by examining perceptions of water conservation in Central West NSW".
As part of her research, Ms Cui has an online survey component and is conducting a series of phone/virtual interviews.
She is hoping residents in Bathurst will participate in the study, which can be found by using this link: https://sydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0lwXm8Q3YA48ZJb.
The online survey takes about 10 minutes.
