Estimating the Value of Improved Water Quality in an Urban River System
Kevin Croke
Robert Fabian
Gary Brenniman
DOI: 10.2190/RDE4-N1UM-2J2P-07UX
Abstract
Improved water quality in the rivers of the metropolitan area is one of the benefits that can be derived from controlling combined sewer overflow in older large cities. This article estimates the value that cleaner rivers would have to Chicago citizens, and thus measures an important component of value to which the Chicago Deep Tunnel project can be expected to contribute. In a contingent value survey, average annual household values ranging from about $30 to $50 were observed for various degrees of improvement. An important result is that from two-thirds to nine-tenths of these reflect the intrinsic value of the rivers-nonuse values related to the existence of clean rivers or the option to use them in the future. A comparison with similar published studies confirms the credibility of the results. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.