Long-Term Dynamics of Rural Household Water Use (the Case of Semlovsky Rural Settlement, Yaroslavl Oblast)

The article proves the necessity to change approaches to the development of water output system in rural settlements by improving the quality of forecast of expected changes in rural water use. The study is based on the evolution of behavioral preferences of rural households on the case of the pilot Semlovsky rural settlement of Danilovsky district of Yaroslavl oblast. This research was inspired by the logic and beauty of the methodology of studying rural water use by the outstanding geographer Gilbert White which is based on the approaches of behavioral and evolutionary geography. Through interviews and semi-structured surveys from 1976 to 2019, the study examined how rural residents provide water for themselves, choose their source of water output, and how they really value water as an economic good. The perceptions of managers in the sphere of domestic water output were also investigated and planning documents were analyzed. The study of the evolution of rural domestic water use for more than 40 years revealed the peculiarities of source selection depending on water quality, economic and technical capabilities of residents, and socio-cultural traditions. It has been established that focusing on centralized water supply, to comply with water quality standards for the population, can have the adverse effect, when the users choose a cheaper water source which is reliable and has a poorer water quality. In practical terms, the article shows it’s reasonable to apply an integrated approach to developing rural water output strategies, taking into account the adaptability of water users to different geographical conditions. It also reveals ways of including behavioral features of water use in rural areas in project and planning documents.