By Adam Studzinski

BLOOMINGTON – A sociology professor at Illinois State University is helping to conduct a survey of Twin Cities residents who use water from Lake Bloomington and Lake Evergreen.

Professor Joan Brehm is working with the McLean County Soil and Water Conservation District and the City of Bloomington to complete the survey. She told WJBC’s Susan Saunders this type of research has never been done on urban residents.

“Before we can start to engage in any sort of outreach or education efforts to try to get people to change behaviors, first we have to know: What do they know, what are they currently doing, what’s important to them, what do they value about their water?” she said.

Podcast: Listen to Brehm’s conversation on WJBC.

1,000 households which use water from the lakes will be randomly selected to take the survey.

“Our study is really to provide some baseline data,” said Brehm. “We’ll use that date to develop some outreach and educational materials, and activities, to try to engage residents in different practices that help protect their water.”

ISU undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in the research as assistants.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].