Although the residents of New York City share as much concern for the environment as their upstate neighbors, 20 percent of city residents do not know where their water originates, and four out of five New York City residents have confidence in the safety of the city's tap water, according to the preliminary results of a survey by two Cornell University experts.

J. Mayone Stycos and Max J. Pfeffer, Cornell professors of rural sociology, surveyed 1,600 people by telephone in March. Interviews included questions about environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior. The survey has an accuracy rate of +/- 2 percent. People in upstate and city samples were different only as far as age: rural residents tended to be slightly older than those living the city, which is consistent with national demographics.

Among the findings:

• About 19 percent of city residents said they believe the city's water was very safe, 63 percent said it was somewhat safe, 16 percent believed it was unsafe and 1 percent gave no answer.
• Of upstate residents in the watershed, almost 51 percent thought New York City water was very safe, while 41 percent said it was somewhat safe, 5 percent said it was unsafe and 3 percent gave no answer.
• About 93 percent of people surveyed in both New York City and the upstate New York City watershed said that they follow environment issues closely.
• Although it is the same water from the same source, about 60 percent of the New York City residents reported problems with the clarity or color of their water, compared to about 33 percent of those in upstate survey area. More than half of the city residents said they drank bottled water for health reasons, compared with 40 percent of the upstate residents.

"The people living in the watershed feel their environment is clean and they think of themselves as good stewards of the land," Pfeffer said. "Obviously, New York city residents are a little less confident. Given the day-to-day experiences in the city, people see their immediate environment and relate it back to the water."

New York City water in fact has won many regional taste awards and has been rated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as having superior quality, according to John Bennett, director of public affairs for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Bennett said that most municipalities must filter their water, and New York City is but one of a handful of places in the country that does not have to filter the water.

Bennett said the reason that New York City does not have to filter is the comprehensive watershed protection plan that consistently keeps the city's water supply safely within EPA guidelines.

In order to maintain compliance with the federal Safe Water Drinking Act, New York City reached an agreement in November with the signing of the Watershed Agreement in Principle. The upstate watershed along the Hudson River provides the drinking water for the 9 million city residents. The watershed agreement is intended to protect the watershed environment by ensuring agricultural, commercial and private concerns continue to use environmentally sound practices.

New York City faced a choice: either work with their upstate neighbors to keep the water clean or build a multi-billion water filtration plant. New York City felt it was less expensive to help defray costs of the keeping the upstate water clean.

The survey found that about 39 percent of New York City residents said they knew about the city's agreement with the watershed residents to stave off environmental problems. In contrast, 81 percent of the upstate watershed residents were aware of the agreement.

Pfeffer believes the study culled some surprises. Among them: how city dwellers thought of themselves as water savers. According to the survey, about half of all city and upstate residents had water-saving toilets. About 78 percent of city residents reported trying to use less water while either bathing or showering -- about the same percentage as the upstate watershed residents.

"Despite stereotypes and images of open fire hydrants gushing water into the streets, there appears to be little factual basis for accusing city residents of being exceptionally wasteful of water," Pfeffer said.

Another surprise: how watershed residents are very supportive of the environment, yet are opposed to severe regulations. Preliminary findings from the study showed that upstate opposition to New York City watershed regulations were not borne out of anti-environmentalism, according to the researchers. The common concern for the environment appears to have been the foundation for the creation of the urban/rural partnership that eventually led to the agreement.

"In fact, they cherish the environment and they are very good stewards of the land. They want to protect what is already a very valuable resource," said Pfeffer.

The results indicated that the environmental concerns do not stop at the faucet, but are carried into the voting booth. More than 44 percent of the watershed residents report having voted for a particular candidate because of his/her environmental position, compared to less than a third of the New York City residents.

Stycos and Pfeffer expect to have the final report ready in the fall.