Risk, Drinking Water and Harmful Algal Blooms: A Contingent Valuation of Water Bans

Facilities using surface water to provide drinking water to communities must contend with the risk of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin infiltration. Although risk management protocols can be put in place to anticipate the presence of cyanotoxins in concentrations exceeding guidelines, based on cyanobact...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water resources management 2020-09, Vol.34 (12), p.3933-3947
Main Authors: Schinck, Marie-Pier, L’Ecuyer-Sauvageau, Chloé, Leroux, Justin, Kermagoret, Charlène, Dupras, Jérôme
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algal blooms
Atmospheric Sciences
Bans
Civil Engineering
Cost analysis
Cyanobacteria
Diagnostic software
Diagnostic systems
Drinking water
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Economics
Environment
Eutrophication
Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences
Households
Hydrogeology
Hydrology/Water Resources
Polls & surveys
Risk management
Surface water
Surveying
Valuation
Water quality
Willingness to pay
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Summary:Facilities using surface water to provide drinking water to communities must contend with the risk of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin infiltration. Although risk management protocols can be put in place to anticipate the presence of cyanotoxins in concentrations exceeding guidelines, based on cyanobacterial cell count for example, this indicator is not infallible. The Canadian province of Quebec, among other jurisdictions, issues water bans when high concentrations of cyanotoxins are detected. While necessary, these bans are costly to communities. We perform a contingent valuation survey in areas at risk of being impacted by a water ban in the future to assess the preferences of residents and the economic value of detection and treatment tools that could eliminate cyanotoxins. The survey was completed by 240 people. Each respondent was asked a double-bounded dichotomous choice question. The scenario implied changes to the current situation regarding the possibility of predicting the presence of cyanotoxins in the facility, the average duration of water bans, the possibility of providing advance notice, all relative to the cost of these measures. The analysis of the survey responses allowed us to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) of households for diagnostic and treatment tools in drinking water facilities. Our analysis indicates that the mean WTP was $135 per household per year. Given that the experts developing the tools estimate the cost of implementation at $110 per household per year, our results suggest that implementation is economically viable.
ISSN:0920-4741
1573-1650
DOI:10.1007/s11269-020-02653-x