Stormwater has been recognised as one of the additional/alternative sources of water to augment freshwater supply and address the growing needs of humankind. South Australia has been a leader in the development of large-scale urban stormwater harvesting schemes in Australia for nearly 50 years and the Salisbury Local Government Area (LGA), in particular, is at the forefront of urban stormwater management and recycling, not only in the state of South Australia, but worldwide. This is mainly due to its pioneering achievements in stormwater capture and treatment through the managed aquifer recharge (MAR) process. However, there are many challenges in implementing water reuse strategies and past studies have identified public health concerns and public acceptance as major challenges. In line with this, our team conducted an internet survey to gauge the attitude and intentions of Salisbury LGA residents to use stormwater treated through the MAR process for non-potable uses. We found that respondents’ emotions and perceptions of health risk, regarding the use of treated stormwater, were closely related to the proximity of the end use to human contact. In terms of quality indicators, colour, odour, and salt levels were all seen as being important. Quality preferences were also closely related to the proximity of the end use to human contact, and reflected the use of water for indoor/outdoor purposes.

This paper reports on the intentions of urban residents in two South Australian Local Government Areas (LGAs) (council areas) to use stormwater treated through a managed aquifer recharge process for various potential non-potable uses. Data were collected through an online survey of the residents in these LGAs. The key finding is that, in common with recycled sewage water, the intention to use treated stormwater was lower for uses having closer contact with people. A hypothesized model consisting of possible factors influencing the intention to use treated stormwater was developed based on the contemporary literature relating to usage of treated sewage water. Greater trust in the local water authority was shown to be associated directly and closely with a lower perceived health risk. A positive attitude by respondents to the use of treated stormwater (as an aspect of a sustainable future) was found to be more likely to result in an intention to use the treated stormwater for non-potable purposes. Respondents' perceived health risk, emotions and environmental concerns all had significant associations with their attitudes to using stormwater but were not associated with their intention to use it.

China’s digital economy has been expanding rapidly in the past decade. This expansion is having a profound impact on the country’s economy. Using panel data on 97 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2020, this study investigates the multifaceted relationship between the digital economy and total-factor carbon emission efficiency. The research yields three key findings: (1) The digital economy positively enhances overall carbon emission efficiency. This conclusion is drawn with robustness tests. (2) Green technology innovation serves as a partial mediator between the digital economy and total-factor carbon emission efficiency, and this mediation role is influenced by government intervention, which negatively moderates the relationship between the digital economy and green technology innovation but positively impacts the mediation role of green technology innovation between the digital economy and total-factor carbon emission efficiency. (3) The positive impact of the digital economy on total-factor carbon emission efficiency is more significant in the upper reaches, lower reaches, and resource-based cities of the Yellow River Basin. These findings provide new perspectives and empirical evidence for better understanding the relationship between digital economy development and total-factor carbon emission efficiency. They also provide policy recommendations for achieving strategic objectives, including digital economy development, carbon emission reduction, carbon peaking, and carbon neutrality.