Grantee Research Project Results
2019 Progress Report: Estimating the Benefits of Stream Water Quality Improvements in Urbanizing Watersheds: An Ecological Production Function Approach
EPA Grant Number: R836165Title: Estimating the Benefits of Stream Water Quality Improvements in Urbanizing Watersheds: An Ecological Production Function Approach
Investigators: von Haefen, Roger , Taylor, Laura , Van Houtven, George L. , Obenour, Daniel Redd , Kenney, Melissa , Gerst, Michael
Institution: North Carolina State University , Desert Research Institute , University of Maryland - College Park
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: June 1, 2016 through May 31, 2020 (Extended to May 31, 2021)
Project Period Covered by this Report: June 1, 2019 through May 31,2020
Project Amount: $799,728
RFA: Water Quality Benefits (2015) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water
Objective:
To support EPA’s efforts to advance knowledge for conducting economic evaluations of environmental policies, the main objective of our proposed research is to develop and demonstrate methods for valuing the use and nonuse benefits of improving water quality in wadeable streams in urbanizing watersheds. These streams provide valuable ecosystem services and are subject to a combination of anthropogenic stressors that have led to pervasive degradation referred to as “urban stream syndrome.” Understanding how the general public perceives and values improvements in stream conditions is necessary to support EPA’s efforts to quantify the public’s willingness to pay (WTP) for water quality improvements.
Progress Summary:
In year 4, a final focus group and eight separate cognitive interviews were conducted to finalize our stated preference survey instrument. A pretest survey with 730 completes was conducted with the Qualtrics online panel, and a second pretest survey was planned. Logistics for the “push-to-internet” survey design were finalized with RTI’s survey methods group, and a launch date for the final survey is now planned for early Fall 2020. Progress on the expert elicitation was slowed by co-PI Kenney’s move to the University of Minnesota and COVID-19 related challenges, but this work is now expected to be completed by December 2020.
Future Activities:
A second pretest survey is in the final stages of planning and should be launched in mid-June 2020. Thereafter, preparations will be made for the final “push-to-internet” survey. The expert elicitation is now targeting completion by December 2020. With all three components of the grant – the water quality modeling, expert elicitation and stated preference survey – completed by Winter 2020, the case study for the Upper Neuse River Basin will commence soon thereafter, and the final report will be drafted in Spring 2021.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 2 publications | 2 publications in selected types | All 2 journal articles |
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Miller JW, Paul MJ, and Obenour DR, Assessing important drivers of ecological health in NC piedmont streams and quantifying variations in macroinvertebrate Sampling using hierarchical modeling. Freshwater Science. 2019;38(4):771-789. |
R836165 (2019) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Water quality, economic benefits, willingness to pay, stated preference methods, expert elicitation, ecological production function, wadeable streams, Upper Neuse River Basin, Cape Fear River BasinProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.