PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
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.
摘要：
优质的水资源具有广泛的效益,但是水质的价值在环境政策决策中往往没有得到充分体现，在很大程度上是由于没有水质评估估计，政策相关尺度。使用全国范围的房地产价值数据，覆盖整个美国，我们通过住房市场的资本化来估计湖泊水质的好处。我们发现了令人信服的证据，表明房主非常重视改善水质。此溢价对于湖滨物业而言是最大的，并且随着与水体的距离而衰减。总的来说,我们估计，10％的水质改善为毗邻的美国有价值60至90亿美元的业主。这项研究为决策者将湖泊水质价值估算纳入环境决策提供了可靠的证据。
