# Perceptions on Drinking Water and Wastewater in a Local Area in Western Romania
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Drinking Water Sources and Characteristics  
Another set of questions was related to residents' basic knowledge of the properties of drinking water. In Romania, specific parameters are regulated by Law 119/2014 [33]. Thus, to the question\" What are the optimal pH values for drinking water?\", almost half of the participants (47.0%) responded that they do not know them. 33.0% of people answered correctly (pH 6.5-8.5) (Supplementary Materials Figure S2). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline  & & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Test Statistics**} \\ \hline  & **q2\_drinking** & **q2\_cooking** & **q2\_washing** & **q2\_washing** & **q2\_watering** & **q2\_other Uses** \\  & & **Inside** & **Outside** & **Gardens** & **q2\_other Uses** \\ \hline Chi-Square & 23.625 a & 157.875 b & 212.531 a & 47.063 b & 32.438 b & 13.875 b \\ df & 4 & 5 & 4 & 5 & 5 & 5 \\ Asymp. Sig. & 0.000 & 0.000 & 0.000 & 0.000 & 0.000 & 0.016 \\ \hline \end{tabular} a—0 cells (0.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 38.4. b—0 cells (0.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 32.0.  
\end{table} 
Table 3: Values of the Chi-square coefficient and the corresponding thresholds. Figure 2: **(a)** Daily consumption of water (IDK—I do not know), and (**b**) water consumption between genders. Analyzing the subsequent answers, we can say that familiarity with scientific terms is decreasing. For example, to the question \"What do you think is the maximum permissible level of dissolved solids in water to be drinkable?\" 72% of the participants did not know the correct answer. Less than 10% (6%) answered correctly (maximum permissible value 500 mg/liter) (Supplementary Materials Figure S3). The level of respondents' acquaintance with basic water quality parameters is related to the general knowledge generated through marketing campaigns. Most of the 12 respondents who answered correctly are university-educated. According to the obtained data, it could be seen that respondents' knowledge was limited to pH values. When the specific domain was extended to the total dissolved solids parameter, which provides information on water purity, familiarity was limited. The third question regarding the properties of drinking water referred to its smell: \"What must water smell like to be good for drinking?\" Most respondents (92%) considered that good-quality water has no smell (Supplementary Figure S4). Determining the population's general level of knowledge regarding tap water properties was one of our subsequent research directions. This objective was motivated by the importance given at the European level to ensure a green perspective and a reliable management system. A recent publication underlines the need to improve the specific knowledge in the field for Local Authority employees in Ireland [34]. Our findings, along with others, could help the authorities to implement and design the optimum actions to increase the awareness of information in the field in the case of each of the categories. Correct information about bottled or tap water's properties, advantages, and disadvantages is needed. Impartial communication about the potability characteristics of water is essential for consumer choices. Sensory aspects, such as taste, color, or smell, together with individual treatments applied at home (cooling and/or filtration), can correlate with the person's preference for different types of water [35]. Regardless of the type, water quality can be altered. Two additional important aspects determine the scale of any local tap water infrastructure. These are related to implementing safety regulations [36] and cost improvement. Adhering to legal provisions ensures that quality parameters are maintained throughout the chain, from the treatment plant to the final consumer. Recent data have presented the possible health risks of tap and bottled water to consumers [37]. [PERSON] et al.