A Modeling Approach for Infrastructure Evaluation from Customers’ Viewpoints: Using Sewer Systems as a Case Study

Abstract

Even though sewer system is an important social infrastructure for the sewage collection, rainwater discharge, public health, flood prevention, and amenable environment, the concern of the end-users of wastewater system is lower than in other infrastructures because most sewers are buried below ground level. The evaluation on the customer satisfaction for wastewater service has rarely been carried out, since it belongs to an expertise field in which many public officials believe the municipality-led management is necessary. In this study, customer satisfaction for wastewater service is evaluated by customer service modelling approach applying structural equation model. As a result, sewerage service quality and improvement of environment affect customer satisfaction. In case of the sewer service quality, odor and clogging are relatively more important than flooding, meaning customers are more interested in their neighboring environmental concerns and inconvenience. The effect of sewerage service quality on surrounding environment is significant, while the effect of environmental improvement on customer satisfaction is relatively small. Customers do not seem to have the willingness to accept the increased sewerage fee even if the sewerage quality and environment are surely improved from the current state.