Two of the objectives of the Other Uses Component of the Northern River Basins Study were to determine which water management problems or issues were of greatest concern to basin residents and to recommend a series of management actions to address these concerns. Information about water management issues and actions was collected as part of surveys conducted with a random sample of northern households (Project 4121-D3) and with various stakeholder groups (Project 4121-D4). As part of these surveys, respondents were asked to choose the best and worst examples of various sets of threats to water quality/quantity and of possible management actions.
The responses to the two sets of Best/Worst questions were analyzed using logistic regression. This analysis produced the following estimates:
1) the probability that each of 11 possible threats to water quality/quantity will be selected as the area of most concern; and
2) the probability that each of 11 possible management actions will be selected as the most effective response to such concerns
The probabilities produced by this analysis can be ranked from lowest to highest to determine the preferences of northern households and various stakeholder groups within the basin.
The results of the analysis of threats to water quality and quantity showed fairly consistent results among stakeholder groups and among the 12 regions used in the household survey. The top two perceived threats to water quality/quantity proved to be:
• discharges from pulp mills; and
• industrial wastes/tailings ponds.
There was considerable variability in the ranking o f the remaining threats, especially among stakeholder groups. Furthermore, the top two threats were perceived to be of much greater concern than all of the nine remaining threats.
In terms of recommended management actions, there was much more variability in the results. Overall there was greatest support among households and stakeholder groups for developing a management plan for the entire basin. However, some groups placed higher emphasis on preserving and maintaining ecosystems or reducing industrial effluent loads.