Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Investigating the distribution and value of water quality benefits along the Mississippi River
EPA Grant Number: R840464Title: Investigating the distribution and value of water quality benefits along the Mississippi River
Investigators:
Institution:
EPA Project Officer:
Project Period: September 1, 2022 through May 12, 2025
Project Amount: $742,000
RFA: Water Quality Benefits (2022) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water Quality , Water
Objective:
Numerous policies and programs have been proposed to improve the quality of Mississippi River, ranging from incentives for best management practices, bioenergy and agricultural policies, nutrient trading schemes, floodplain restoration, to invasive species management. Currently, there is little economic information available to evaluate the costs and benefits of these proposals. Our research aimed to inform how agencies and other entities prioritize resources designed to improve water quality, communicate the value of these investments to the public, and evaluate the costs and benefits of alternative policies.
The core research questions that motivated our work included:
- How do values for water-related ecosystem services vary across the socioeconomic and ecological gradient of the Mississippi River?
- Can alternative value elicitation methods broaden participation and better capture values of under-represented groups?
- How do case studies and engagement with community partners reveal unique insights into water benefits that are not evident from monetary valuation assessments?
Our work was designed to contribute to an improved understanding of multiple conceptions of value derived from different value elicitation approaches and to develop practical tools that assess values for public goods and while also addressing objectives related to equity and the distribution of environmental benefits and harms. Our work was also intended to inform the development of next-generation integrated assessment models by conducting valuation studies across spatial and demographic gradients.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The project contributed to an understanding of the Mississippi River as a complex social-ecological system. Project activities including site visits and analysis of media and management documentation revealed geographically specific threats to ecological resilience and human health. Threats to the river system and surrounding communities included invasive species, flood and drought management, land loss and subsidence, sedimentation and erosion, nutrient pollution, contaminants from legacy and contemporary industrial facilities, microplastics and other contaminants of concern, and habitat or biodiversity loss. Threats and uses for the river varied from the headwaters in Minnesota to the outlet in Louisiana.
An analysis of the distribution of environmental contaminants based on permitted discharges reported on EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) revealed disparities by race, income, and education. The disparity analysis relied on data from EPA’s RSEI (Risk Screening Environmental Indicators) model. We investigated the distribution of toxic water pollution discharges over three time periods and evaluated disparity ratios using corresponding demographic data for each of multiple river regions. In addition to highlighting disparities in exposure to toxic water pollution, the project used facility-level data to identify industries contributing to toxic water pollution, investigated specific health impacts of associated pollutants and potential impacts to nearby communities.
Intercept survey data from installed chatbots along the river corridor was used to collect data on visitor perceptions and values for the Mississippi River. Preliminary analysis of these data identified strong cultural attachments to the River and a diversity of uses of the River that varied by geographic region. Perceptions of water quality were higher in the northern sections of the River and declined in southern reaches of the River.
Survey analysis to quantify preferences of different river communities and river visitors was in process until project termination in May 2025. A planned stated preference survey to elicit willingness to pay for changes in water quality was also canceled because of the grant termination.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 7 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Water quality, Mississippi River, environmental justice, contaminants, public health, non-market valuation, recreationProgress 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.