Does Household Community Behavior Affect River Water Quality? Evidence from the Petung River, Indonesia

The Petung River plays a crucial role as water source and supports domestic and economic activities in Pasuruan City. Anthropogenic activities have increased pollutant loads, potentially degrading water quality. This research is intended to assess the water quality of the Petung River and analyze community behavioral factors in water pollution control based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A mixed-method approach was employed, combining the Pollution Index analysis and multiple linear regression on questionnaire data from 60 households using SPSS. The results indicate that parameters TSS, BOD, COD, and total phosphate exceed the Class II Indonesian national water quality standards. The water quality status was categorized as lightly polluted, except for observation point 3 in June, which was moderately polluted. The F-test produced a statistically significant value of 0.000 < 0.05, indicating that the regression model is valid. The t-test results showed that subjective norms (sig. 0.000) and perceived behavioral control (sig. 0.000) significantly influence water pollution control behavior, whereas attitude (sig. 0.903) had no significant effect. The coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.675 indicates that the TPB variables explain 67.5% of the variation in water pollution control behavior. These findings highlight that water pollution control behavior is more strongly influenced by social motivation and perceived ease of action than by personal attitudes. Therefore, the pollution control strategy in of Petung River should adopt a socio-technical approach by strengthening environmental norms, providing sanitation facilities, and empowering local communities.