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Valuing Water Quality Monitoring: A Contingent Valuation Experiment Involving Hypothetical and Real Payments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

Michael A. Spencer ,
Stephen K. Swallow  and
Christopher J. Miller
Michael A. Spencer
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, University of Rhode Island
Stephen K. Swallow
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, University of Rhode Island
Christopher J. Miller
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, University of Rhode Island
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Abstract

This paper studies the preferences and willingness-to-pay of individuals for volunteer water quality monitoring programs. The study involves supporting water quality monitoring at two ponds in the state of Rhode Island. The paper uses both a hypothetical and a real-payment contingent valuation survey to directly measure individual preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for volunteer water quality monitoring at the two ponds. The overall results of the study suggest that hypothetical WTP is not statistically greater than real WTP, and that the average survey respondent is willing to support water quality monitoring on one of the two ponds. The study also finds that the specified purpose of water quality monitoring and certain socioeconomic characteristics of a respondent significantly affect the respondent's decision to support volunteer water quality monitoring.

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Type
Articles
Information
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , April 1998 , pp. 28 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

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