Water user survey on expectations of service in Guelph, ON, Canada

Abstract

A survey was developed and conducted with residential water users in the City of Guelph, ON, Canada, with the objective of assessing their awareness, preferences, concerns, motivations, and priorities. The overall goal of this data is to improve the water system on different fronts: infrastructure, conservation programs, communication with users, and long-term strategies. Results highlight the local concerns with water scarcity, currently addressed by conservation programs, as well as water quality, aging infrastructure, and costs. Correlations between user type and answers were seldom found, showing that different residential customer segments share concerns and motivations. Even so, feedback must be sought from all customer segments, residential as well as industrial, commercial, and institutional, through different channels. The findings will allow the utility to identify preferred solutions to current issues and openness to change, as well as gaps in user and utility knowledge.