MANAGING DEMAND FOR SCARCE WATER RESOURCES: AN EVALUATION OF CURRENT APPROACHES

Increasing water scarcity due to droughts and competition for water resources is threatening the ability of cities all over the world, even those that are well-resourced, to provide their residents with basic water services. My three-paper dissertation addresses three different areas of intervention aimed at addressing water scarcity. In my first paper, I address incentives to create technologies that address water scarcity. Concerns of a “deficit” of water-related technologies question the widely held belief that we can innovate our way out of water crises. In the context of the United States, I exploit temporal and spatial variation in the incidence of drought and the implementation of water technology clusters to explain changes in water-related patenting activity. I find that patenting activity does not increase following droughts, which suggests few incentives to innovate exist. I do find that water technology clusters boost water-related innovation, suggesting that additional policy interventions may be warranted. In my second paper, I provide insights into price-based rationing for managing residential water demand, an increasingly popular demand management tool. The efficacy and distributional impacts of this approach depends on households’ heterogeneous price sensitivity. I estimate heterogenous price responses for single family households in Chapel Hill, NC using a household-level panel dataset that features a large change in marginal water prices and a novel measure of local hydrological stress. Contrary to prior research, I find households with presumably strong preferences for irrigation are no less price sensitive than other households. In my third paper, I examine water utility compliance with state-imposed mandates for water conservation during severe droughts. States use mandates as a policy intended to address conflicting incentives for conservation by water utilities. Using data on urban water utilities in California subjected to a year-long mandate, I provide evidence that mandating higher conservation objectives does not lead to water utilities increasing water conservation. Moreover, I show that compliance is higher for water utilities where customers actively complain about “water waste.” In this context, private citizen activism appears to be an overlooked aspect of local agency compliance.Doctor of Philosoph

Keep your head above water: Explaining disparities in local drinking water bills

Rising water bills across the U.S. underscore the need to understand the factors that contribute to disparities in local system bills. In this paper, we examine residential water bill amounts from 1,720 systems in four states in different regions of the U.S. (Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire and Wisconsin) to (1) examine how local system bills at a constant consumption level (4,000 gallons per month or 15.14m3) for drinking water vary within and across states, as well as within combined metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), and (2) study the relationship between local system bills and system-level characteristics. We find a high degree of similarity in median bill amounts between states but substantial variation within them at the MSA and local system scale. Our multivariate analysis suggests that municipally-owned systems are more likely to have lower water bills relative to for-profit systems, while factors such as purchasing water and having neighboring systems with high bills significantly correlate with higher water bills. Though we find that water systems with high levels of poverty tend to have higher water bills, our results also suggest that local systems that serve populations with higher levels of income inequality and higher proportions of non-White population tend to have lower water bills. These findings point to future research and data needs to better inform federal, state and local water affordability policy and underline the importance of examining and addressing water affordability at local scales

Interlinkages and gaps: a review of the literature on intergovernmental relations for flood management in the face of climate change

Current approaches to flood management are increasingly insufficient to deal with intensifying flood trends. In this paper, we define and map out the responsibilities and relationships of local, state, and federal governing entities at various levels. We use these relationships to identify gaps in governance needed to address the high financial, human, and infrastructure costs of flooding. This paper offers a description of current flood policies and provides recommendations for innovations in policy solutions to improve governance gaps. We identify three themes from the literature on intergovernmental relations and flood governance: (1) intergovernmental relations (interlinkages and gaps) for flood governance; (2) risks inherent to flood governance (financial, physical, social and individual, and perception of risk); (3) data adequacy and interoperability

Interlinkages and gaps: a review of the literature on intergovernmental relations for flood management in the face of climate change

Current approaches to flood management are increasingly insufficient to deal with intensifying flood trends. In this paper, we define and map out the responsibilities and relationships of local, state, and federal governing entities at various levels. We use these relationships to identify gaps in governance needed to address the high financial, human, and infrastructure costs of flooding. This paper offers a description of current flood policies and provides recommendations for innovations in policy solutions to improve governance gaps. We identify three themes from the literature on intergovernmental relations and flood governance: (1) intergovernmental relations (interlinkages and gaps) for flood governance; (2) risks inherent to flood governance (financial, physical, social and individual, and perception of risk); (3) data adequacy and interoperability

Reuse of Treated Wastewater: Drivers, Regulations, Technologies, Case Studies, and Greater Chicago Area Experiences

Water reuse is a practical solution to augment water supplies in areas where water resources are increasingly scarce. Water reuse technology is versatile and can be used to alleviate the different causes of water scarcity, such as groundwater depletion or increased availability of brackish water. Treatment technologies can be tailored specifically to the end use of recycled water, focusing on these drivers that are region-specific, for a more cost-effective treatment system. This is called a “Fit-for-Purpose” strategy that is commonly implemented in any water reuse project. However, implementing water reuse can be challenging due to infrastructural requirements, economic issues, and social acceptance. To help navigate these challenges, this article provides a comprehensive review of water reuse cases and presents guidelines that can act as a reference framework for future water reuse projects. This article also makes the case for implementing water reuse in the Greater Chicago area as a means of alleviating pressure on withdrawals from Lake Michigan

Data_Sheet_2_Interlinkages and gaps: a review of the literature on intergovernmental relations for flood management in the face of climate change.PDF

Current approaches to flood management are increasingly insufficient to deal with intensifying flood trends. In this paper, we define and map out the responsibilities and relationships of local, state, and federal governing entities at various levels. We use these relationships to identify gaps in governance needed to address the high financial, human, and infrastructure costs of flooding. This paper offers a description of current flood policies and provides recommendations for innovations in policy solutions to improve governance gaps. We identify three themes from the literature on intergovernmental relations and flood governance: (1) intergovernmental relations (interlinkages and gaps) for flood governance; (2) risks inherent to flood governance (financial, physical, social and individual, and perception of risk); (3) data adequacy and interoperability.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Interlinkages and gaps: a review of the literature on intergovernmental relations for flood management in the face of climate change.PDF

Current approaches to flood management are increasingly insufficient to deal with intensifying flood trends. In this paper, we define and map out the responsibilities and relationships of local, state, and federal governing entities at various levels. We use these relationships to identify gaps in governance needed to address the high financial, human, and infrastructure costs of flooding. This paper offers a description of current flood policies and provides recommendations for innovations in policy solutions to improve governance gaps. We identify three themes from the literature on intergovernmental relations and flood governance: (1) intergovernmental relations (interlinkages and gaps) for flood governance; (2) risks inherent to flood governance (financial, physical, social and individual, and perception of risk); (3) data adequacy and interoperability.</p