Grantee Research Project Results

2018 Progress Report: Assessing the Contribution of Small Streams to Use and Non-use WaterQuality Values Using Modeling, Stakeholder Participation, and Decision Theory

EPA Grant Number: R836169
Title: Assessing the Contribution of Small Streams to Use and Non-use WaterQuality Values Using Modeling, Stakeholder Participation, and Decision Theory
Investigators: Borsuk, Mark E. , Howarth, Richard B. , Rogers, Shannon H. , Chen, Celia Y , Zuidema, Shan
Institution: Dartmouth College , University of New Hampshire , Plymouth State University
Current Institution: Dartmouth College , Plymouth State University , University of New Hampshire
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: April 1, 2016 through March 31, 2021 (Extended to March 31, 2022)
Project Period Covered by this Report: April 1, 2018 through March 31,2019
Project Amount: $798,337
RFA: Water Quality Benefits (2015) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water

Objective:

The goal of this project is to develop a transferable framework for linking the health of small streams to water quality indicators, ecosystem services, and social preferences. The project aims to combine a spatially distributed modeling framework for gauging the determinants of water quality with two complementary valuation methods, deliberative multicriteria analysis and choice modelling. The project focuses on the Cocheco and Lamprey River watersheds in the broader context of Southeastern New Hampshire.

Progress Summary:

In the current project period, our team focused on modelling the links between ecosystem function and related ecosystem services as influenced by land use at the regional and statewide scales, using benthic macroinvertebrate populations to gauge ecosystem health. In addition, we analyzed data generated by a series of four stakeholder workshops held in the spring of 2018 that applied Deliberative Multicriteria Evaluation at the watershed scale. And we worked on plans for a stated preference survey that will be implemented in the next project year.

Future Activities:

The next phase of the project will develop and apply a stated preference survey to value watershed services at the regional scale. This will allow us to develop a transferable valuation methodology grounded in our novel biophysical models of ecosystem function. In addition, it will allow us to compare the results generated by deliberative multicriteria analysis and standard nonmarket valuation techniques.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 9 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

Ecosystem services; Small streams; Deliberative multicriteria analysis, Stated preference methods, Bayesian network modeling.

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

The 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.