Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108.
The Natural Capital Project, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Apr 11;120(15):e2210417120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2210417120. Epub 2023 Apr 3.
High-quality water resources provide a wide range of benefits, but the value of water quality is often not fully represented in environmental policy decisions, due in large part to an absence of water quality valuation estimates at large, policy relevant scales. Using data on property values with nationwide coverage across the contiguous United States, we estimate the benefits of lake water quality as measured through capitalization in housing markets. We find compelling evidence that homeowners place a premium on improved water quality. This premium is largest for lakefront property and decays with distance from the waterbody. In aggregate, we estimate that 10% improvement of water quality for the contiguous United States has a value of $6 to 9 billion to property owners. This study provides credible evidence for policymakers to incorporate lake water quality value estimates in environmental decision-making.
优质水资源带来广泛的效益，但在环境政策决策中，水质的价值往往没有得到充分体现，这在很大程度上是因为缺乏大规模、与政策相关的水质估值估算。我们利用全美范围内具有覆盖范围的房地产价值数据，通过住房市场的资本化来估算湖泊水质的效益。我们有确凿的证据表明，房主看重水质的改善。对于湖滨房产来说，这种溢价是最大的，并且随着与水体的距离的增加而衰减。总的来说，我们估计美国相邻地区水质改善 10%对房产所有者的价值为 60 亿至 90 亿美元。这项研究为决策者在环境决策中纳入湖泊水质价值估算提供了可信的证据。
