Global Environmental Health Research Gaps and Barriers for Providing Sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services: Workshop Summary (2009) / Chapter Skim
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6 The Environmental Pillar of Sustainable Water: Ecological Services
6 The Environmental Pillar of Sustainable Water: Ecological Services
Pages 65-76
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From page 65... ...
Drinking Water Valuation: Challenges, Approaches, and Opportunities Diane Dupont, Ph.D., Professor of Economics Brock University The value of water and the importance of having the public recognize the true value of water are of great relevance to the goals of achieving sustainability and efficiency in water supply systems. Investigating how people value water and how to elicit these beliefs and behavior in order to improve water use and cost recovery can be understood by outlining challenges to the valuation of water, approaches to valuation, and opportunities to make gains in water systems and societal attitudes about the former.
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From page 66... ...
One framework for water valuation is the Total Economic Valuation Framework, which was used in Canada to quantify the value of Canada's natural resources, including water. The focus of these remarks is on drinking water as it directly affects human health.
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From page 67... ...
approach, which infers the value of water to promoting good health with reference to treatment costs associated with illness or to lost wages due to illness, and the averting behavior (AB) approach, whereby consumers spend money to self-protect in order to reduce the perceived risk of ill health from poor quality water.
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From page 68... ...
Impacts of Demographic Changes and Water Management Policies on Freshwater Resources Jill Boberg, Ph.D., Consultant The assumption that all water scarcity can be summarized in a single number must be challenged. Instead, the factors influencing water scarcity are more complex and require scaling for different sectors.
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From page 69... ...
Although this shortcut occurs because of limited information, it is, in fact, critical to water management, which by necessity will occur on a local level. Water Supply and Demand: The Bigger Picture Despite a general focus on domestic water consumption, this use of water represents only 10 percent of worldwide consumption, with 20 percent for industrial use and the remaining 70 percent for agricultural use.
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From page 70... ...
However, both water resources and demographic factors are modified by a number of intervening factors that are often neglected in water management estimates. Figure 6-1.eps SOURCE: Boberg, 2005.
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From page 71... ...
For example, New York City has ensured a clean water supply through watershed protection in its region. Watershed protection can be achieved through maintenance and replacement of forest or natural land cover in the watershed and reforestation when necessary.
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From page 72... ...
In summary, water supply and demand are complex, and water management is a difficult area with significant methodological needs and research gaps. Many demographic factors -- population size, number of households, urbanization, population distribution, migration, and mortality -- interact with culture, the physical environment, economics, politics, and management to modulate demand.
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From page 73... ...
For example, Lake Erie is generally a very high quality drinking water source. The most important threat to Lake Erie as a water supply at present is the increasing loads of phosphorus entering the lake from agricultural sources.
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From page 74... ...
The most significant water quality problem is nitrate nitrogen, which is present seasonally in major agricultural rivers like the Maumeee and Sandusky Rivers in concentrations up to 2.5 times as great as the MCL of 10 mg/L. Nitrate in high concentrations become a drinking water management issue, as nitrogen must be diluted to below the MCL with untainted water sources.
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From page 75... ...
I believe we need to change the way we understand sustainability. At present, "sustainability" is mostly about having enough good quality water in the future to meet our needs (i.e., increasing the supply to meet growing demands)
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