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Valuing Water Quality Improvements in Heartland Reservoirs 

Objective

Provision of willingness to pay (WTP) estimates for water quality improvements and aquatic resources in Midwest reservoirs. This research is conducted alongside community partners, who we will engage in testing our central hypothesis: that WTP estimates are affected by distance from the reservoirs, previous water-based activities, and the extent of plausible water quality changes. By quantifying water quality benefits and value, water quality decision-making at all spatial scales will be better supported. We will address our stated objective with three specific aims: Aim 1: develop and understand linkages between water quality and provision of ecosystem services, as well as the response to climate and land use drivers in two Missouri and one Kansas reservoirs. Aim 2: estimate the WTP using a choice experiment, incorporating feasible water quality restoration scenarios based on ecosystem modeling, and accounting for ecosystem service bundling. Aim 3: determine market extent by comparing WTP estimates across population subgroups using spatial and latent class analyses.  


Approach

We will use non-market valuation techniques with special attention to the development and testing of spatial parameters and variables characterizing the market extent. We will incorporate ecosystem services modeling to inform plausible scenarios and ecosystem attributes in valuation questionnaires. Finally, we will integrate demographic, and spatial characteristics that may inform the extent to which water quality changes impact WTP.  

Expected Results

Assessment of WTP estimates for water quality improvements, combined with realistic modeling scenarios, will allow us to forecast the realistic future of Midwest reservoirs and the people that are reliant upon them. It will also allow us to explore how to improve the provision of ecosystem services and community well-being and the level of risk associated with these outcomes in order to provide relevant information and aid policy making at all levels. 

Limnology LaboratorySchool of Natural ResourcesUniversity of Missouri302 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources BuildingColumbia, MO 65211-7220
Email: northr@missouri.edu
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