Drought Management Policies and Economic Effects on Urban Areas of California, 1987-1992


Book Description

Reports the results of a detailed survey of urban water agencies to provide the background information needed for future studies to determine willingness-to-pay, i.e., the amount that water users would have been willing to pay to avoid drought management policies.




Drought Management Policies and Economic Effects on Urban Areas of California, 1987-1992


Book Description

The 1986-1992 California drought caused most urban water agencies to adopt policies that aimed to reduce water consumption in their service areas. These policies determined in part how much customers reduced water use and the size and distribution of any accompanying economic and noneconomic losses. Understanding these losses is important because this knowledge should enter into decisions on how to allocate water among competing uses and whether or not to invest in new water projects. The authors evaluate the losses caused by the drought using the concept of "willingness-to-pay," i.e., the amount that water users would have been willing to pay to avoid drought management policies. This study reports the results of a detailed survey of urban water agencies to provide the background information needed for future studies to determine willingness-to-pay. The survey data presented suggest when and where the drought effects were most severe and how the effects were distributed across residential, commercial, industrial, government, and agricultural users. To illustrate how willingness-to-pay can in part be quantified, this report includes a pilot study of residential consumer surplus losses due to the drought, based on household-level water use data in the Alameda County Water District.







Federal Register


Book Description







New Perspectives in Water Supply


Book Description

This book explains how needs for increasing regional water supply are reconciled with other water needs and how water conservation and other demand management practices are used in time of drought. The book covers a number of new and unconventional types of methods that are beginning to be utilized, including the conjunctive use of ground and surface waters, better multiple use of storage, operational coordination between adjacent water systems, ozonation, desalination, water re-use methods of watershed protection, and septic system management. This timely volume also discusses complex arrangements for coordination between federal, state, and muncipal agencies, as well as investor-owned companies.




Water Management in Italy


Book Description

This book describes the water sector as it is structured in Italy. The first part describes the legal framework which rules the sector in Italy, its evolution since the last 20 years, and its weaknesses. The second part describes the governance of Italian water utilities, distinguishing full public-owned companies from public-private partnership and private companies. The third part reports insights on water utilities performance to enquire the presence of economies by scope, scale and density in the Italian water sector, and to verify the presence of any differences in terms of efficiency and tariffs among public and private firms. The fourth part describes the investment policies carried out by water utilities, observing the total amount of per capita investments and the actual realization of planned investments. The fifth part describes if and how utilities applied water conservation practices to incentive the sustainable water use.




Risk, Reliability, Uncertainty, and Robustness of Water Resource Systems


Book Description

35 leading multi-disciplinary scientists with international reputations provide reviews of topical areas of research on uncertainty and reliability related aspects of water resource systems. The volume will be valuable for graduate students, scientists, consultants, administrators, and practising hydrologists and water managers.




Decision Making in Water Resources Policy and Management


Book Description

Decision-Making in Water Resource Policy and Management: An Australian Perspective presents the latest information in developing new decision-making processes. Topics covered include key aspects of water resources planning, recent water resource policy changes in irrigation, urban, and environmental considerations, the evolution of a water market, a number of case studies that provide real examples of improved decision-making, transfer of the Australian experience overseas, and challenges for the future. Many countries are experiencing major water scarcity problems which will likely intensify with the continued impacts of climate change. In response to this challenge, there is increased worldwide focus on the development of more sustainable and integrated water resource policies. The Australian experience over the past three decades has led to major improvements in the decision-making processes in water resources policy and management, particularly in response to drought and climate change, providing a great model on which other nations can use and adapt. This information is essential to early to mid-career practitioners engaged in policy, planning and operational roles in all fields of water resource policy and management, and catchment management. Summarizes key results from three decades of changes in Australian water resource policy Illustrates how Australian knowledge is being used in other countries and how this might be expanded Provides international practitioners with real examples of where and how the Australian knowledge is assisting in other situations