Assessing the Direct Economic Effects of Reallocating Irrigation Water to Alternative Uses: Concepts and an Application

Irrigation water reallocations are playing an increasingly important role in both developed and developing countries. With growing urban and environmental water demands, rising costs for the development of new water supplies, and irrigated agriculture usually including the least economically valuable use of water, transfers of irrigation water to alternative uses are increasing. However, such reallocations are often controversial, and it is often questioned whether the benefits resulting from these transactions are large enough to outweigh the associated costs. This paper reviews the experience with irrigation water transfers, including the involvement of the World Bank. It discusses the problems of assessing the direct economic effects of reallocations, with a focus on the foregone direct benefits in irrigated agriculture. Because foregone direct benefits cannot easily be directly observed, they need to be estimated. However, assessments have shown widely differing estimates -- even when the same methodology was used. The paper reviews the methodologies and model specifications used for estimating foregone direct benefits; illustrates the impact of different model specifications on the magnitude of estimates of foregone direct benefits based on an application in an example case; and draws conclusions with regard to future efforts in assessing reallocation effects, including calculating adequate compensation for farmers. Because estimating the direct benefits of irrigation expansion is methodologically equivalent to estimating foregone direct benefits from reduced irrigation water supplies, the findings have implications for a broader range of water allocation decisions

Assessing the direct economic effects of reallocating irrigation water to alternative uses : concepts and an application

Irrigation water reallocations are playing an increasingly important role in both developed and developing countries. With growing urban and environmental water demands, rising costs for the development of new water supplies, and irrigated agriculture usually including the least economically valuable use of water, transfers of irrigation water to alternative uses are increasing. However, such reallocations are often controversial, and it is often questioned whether the benefits resulting from these transactions are large enough to outweigh the associated costs. This paper reviews the experience with irrigation water transfers, including the involvement of the World Bank. It discusses the problems of assessing the direct economic effects of reallocations, with a focus on the foregone direct benefits in irrigated agriculture. Because foregone direct benefits cannot easily be directly observed, they need to be estimated. However, assessments have shown widely differing estimates -- even when the same methodology was used. The paper reviews the methodologies and model specifications used for estimating foregone direct benefits; illustrates the impact of different model specifications on the magnitude of estimates of foregone direct benefits based on an application in an example case; and draws conclusions with regard to future efforts in assessing reallocation effects, including calculating adequate compensation for farmers. Because estimating the direct benefits of irrigation expansion is methodologically equivalent to estimating foregone direct benefits from reduced irrigation water supplies, the findings have implications for a broader range of water allocation decisions.Water Conservation,Water Economics,Water Policy&Governance,Irrigation and Drainage,Natural Resources Management

Measuring Foregone Direct Benefits of Irrigation Water Transfers: The Effect of Model Specification

Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Toward Improved Water Quality Management in Central and Eastern Europe

Water quality management has become a core environmental issue in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Based on illustrative examples, this article outlines the state of water quality in the pre-transition period and analyses the impacts of the transition process on water quality. It also assesses the current reform efforts in water quality management and identifies issues which need to be addressed in the short- and longer-term for sustaining or extending water quality improvements. The focus is on five CEE countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Other countries in the region, which may have followed a different transition path, are likely to face similar challenges in water quality management in the near future

IRRIGATION WATER DEMAND: A META ANALYSIS OF PRICE ELASTICITIES

Meta-regression models are estimated to investigate sources of variation in empirical estimates of the price elasticity of irrigation water demand. Elasticity estimates are drawn from mathematical programming, econometric and field experiment studies reported in the United States since 1963. Explanatory variables include method of analysis, water price, time-frame of analysis, farmers' adjustment options, type of data, and climate. Results indicate that the magnitudes of elasticity estimates are affected by the method of analysis. When separate regressions are performed for the estimates from each method, the price of water at which an elasticity is estimated as well as the time-frame of analysis are found to influence price elasticities.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Determining the Price-Responsiveness of Demands for Irrigation Water Deliveries versus Consumptive Use

A water-crop simulation/mathematical programming model of irrigation water demand in northeastern Colorado is formulated to develop an original concept of derived demand for consumptive use of water. Conventional demand functions for water deliveries are also developed, and the effect of hypothetical price increases on both consumption and delivery are illustrated. Findings indicate that demand elasticity estimates are quite sensitive to model specification, and consumptive use demand tends to be significantly less price-responsive than delivery demand. Thus price incentives are likely to have only limited impacts on basin-wide water consumption and would not make much additional water available for emerging demands.crop simulation, irrigation, mathematical programming, water conservation, water-demand elasticities, water policy, Demand and Price Analysis, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Inpatient & Outpatient Venous Thromboembolism: A Multifactorial Approach to Increase Mechanical and Pharmacological Prophylaxis Compliance

Venous thromboemboli (VTEs) are a clinical and public health problem as they are commonly linked to inpatient experiences, yet frequently occur in the outpatient setting. VTEs place a significant burden on health care organizations and patients alike, as VTEs are costly, require long-term medications, and frequently reoccur. Research has identified risk factors and determined best practices for VTE prevention and prophylaxis, however little consensus exists among health care organizations and the implementation of best practices is varied. This project studied the challenges and opportunities in VTE prevention and prophylaxis at a large metropolitan hospital in California. Environmental changes were made in patient rooms across ten medical surgical units to increase nurses’ compliance with sequential compression device (SCD) orders. New machines were labeled and placed on patient beds, signs were placed on documentation stations, and education sessions were conducted with over 300 medical surgical nurses. Informal interviews with nursing staff, discharge pharmacists, and the hospital’s outpatient clinic staff were conducted to determine obstacles in compliance and gaps in anticoagulant discharge education. The subsequent audits revealed that nurses’ compliance with SCD orders and documentation remain low and that SCD machines continue to be misplaced, transferred between units, and stored incorrectly. Additional observations further indicated that discharge anticoagulation education is inconsistent and a discharge checklist was developed in response. Future work will include increased education about SCD compliance and documentation. Additional research should be conducted to identify new barriers to compliance, interdisciplinary influences, as well as to determine local, state, or national similarities. Furthermore, interdisciplinary processes must be developed to ensure the tracking and return of machines. In addition, an institutional policy, such as the standardization of the discharge checklist, should be implemented to ensure consistent discharge patient education and optimal patient outcomes

Values of natural and human-made wetlands: A meta-analysis

The values of goods and services provided by wetland ecosystems are examined through a meta-analysis of an expanded database of wetland value estimates and with a focus on human-made wetlands. This study extends and improves upon previous meta-analyses of the wetland valuation literature in terms of the number of observations, geographical coverage, wetland class and integrity, and the measurement of the effects of scarcity and anthropogenic pressure. We find that water quality improvement, nonconsumptive recreation, and provision of natural habitat and biodiversity are highly valued services. Substitution effects are observed through the negative correlation between values and abundance of other wetlands. Wetland values are found to increase with anthropogenic pressure. An extended metaregression model with cross effects shows that the valuation of specific services varies with the type of wetland producing them. Human-made wetlands are highly valued for biodiversity enhancement, water quality improvement, and flood control

Wetlands for wastewater treatment and subsequent recycling of treated effluent : a review

Due to water scarcity challenges around the world, it is essential to think about non-conventional water resources to address the increased demand in clean freshwater. Environmental and public health problems may result from insufficient provision of sanitation and wastewater disposal facilities. Because of this, wastewater treatment and recycling methods will be vital to provide sufficient freshwater in the coming decades, since water resources are limited and more than 70% of water are consumed for irrigation purposes. Therefore, the application of treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation has much potential, especially when incorporating the reuse of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, which are essential for plant production. Among the current treatment technologies applied in urban wastewater reuse for irrigation, wetlands were concluded to be the one of the most suitable ones in terms of pollutant removal and have advantages due to both low maintenance costs and required energy. Wetland behavior and efficiency concerning wastewater treatment is mainly linked to macrophyte composition, substrate, hydrology, surface loading rate, influent feeding mode, microorganism availability, and temperature. Constructed wetlands are very effective in removing organics and suspended solids, whereas the removal of nitrogen is relatively low, but could be improved by using a combination of various types of constructed wetlands meeting the irrigation reuse standards. The removal of phosphorus is usually low, unless special media with high sorption capacity are used. Pathogen removal from wetland effluent to meet irrigation reuse standards is a challenge unless supplementary lagoons or hybrid wetland systems are used