EPA awards $2.9M to research economic benefits of water quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $2.9 million in research grants to four universities to better measure the economic benefits of water quality improvements.
Across the United States, the beneficial impacts of healthy waterbodies can be extensive, including: recreational uses, increased property values, reduced drinking water treatment costs, and more. Quantifying these benefits can help support governments’ water quality decision-making.
“At EPA, we know that when we take action to protect and improve our water resources, communities see economic and environmental benefits in return,” says Chris Frey, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “That’s why the Agency is supporting research to improve the scientific basis behind the measurement of these benefits.”
There are many gaps in the existing research, such as the valuation of water quality improvements in certain areas, the benefits of improvements to coastal areas, and how water quality changes may impact underserved communities. To address such gaps, the funded research projects will evaluate economic benefits and costs, including predicting the environmental justice and other distributional consequences of surface water quality improvements nationwide.
EPA's funding went to the following universities:
- The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis received $742,000 to evaluate how insights from methods such as online surveys and social media analysis can lead to different policy decisions.
- The University of Wisconsin, Madison received $741,864 to explore the nation’s water quality market, willingness to pay (WTP), and WTP differences between different areas. The project will also work to quantify a Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) in watersheds by using preference surveys from across the nation.
- The University of Texas at Austin received $741,054 to develop models that can help determine the impacts of water quality on property values around the Puget Sound, Long Island Sound, and Texas Gulf Coast.
- The University of Missouri, Columbia received $740,014 to assess WTP for water quality improvements in Midwestern reservoirs.