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Essays on Water Resource Management: Infrastructure, Affordability, Forever Chemicals, and Pollution
Essays on Water Resource Management: Infrastructure, Affordability, Forever Chemicals, and Pollution
상세정보
- 자료유형
- 학위논문 서양
- 최종처리일시
- 20260202104724
- ISBN
- 9798290944418
- DDC
- 577
- 서명/저자
- Essays on Water Resource Management: Infrastructure, Affordability, Forever Chemicals, and Pollution
- 발행사항
- [Sl] : Michigan State University, 2025
- 발행사항
- Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2025
- 형태사항
- 214 p
- 주기사항
- Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-02, Section: B.
- 주기사항
- Advisor: Lupi, Frank.
- 학위논문주기
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University, 2025.
- 초록/해제
- 요약Management of water resources is essential for a sustainable society. However, the water sector faces multiple, interrelated challenges that complicate effective water resource management. This dissertation focuses on four major challenges in the water sector: aging water infrastructure, water affordability, forever chemicals in drinking water, and runoff from agricultural fields. The first chapter investigates public support for policies that replace aging water and sewer infrastructure and improve water affordability for low-income households. Much of the U.S. water and sewer infrastructure is nearing the end of its functional life and requires costly replacement. While government funding has increased in recent years, it remains insufficient to meet the projected funding gap. Additionally, water affordability is a concern for many U.S. households. Rising costs to cover infrastructure upgrades could worsen affordability issues, especially for vulnerable households. Since water and sewer utilities rely on user fees for their revenue, understanding consumer preferences for such policies is crucial. This study uses an online survey with a choice experiment to estimate support for infrastructure replacement and affordability program among Michigan and Ohio residents. This study also explores potential behavioral factors that can influence preference for water and sewer policies. Specifically, we hypothesize that altruistic preferences and concerns about resource waste can affect consumer preferences for water and sewer policies. Findings reveal that respondents value improvements in health and environmental outcomes resulting from infrastructure replacement as well as affordability programs assisting low-income households. Notably, altruists generally display a higher willingness to pay (WTP) for programs compared to non-altruists. However, altruists harboring concerns about beneficiaries' water wastefulness have a lower WTP for an affordability program compared to non-altruists without such concerns, which underscore the complex dual nature of altruism in public support for community water programs. The findings offer critical insights for academics, policymakers, and stakeholders aiming to design effective strategies that address both infrastructure replacement and water affordability challenges.The second chapter of this dissertation estimates the WTP for monthly per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing in in public water systems. PFAS, or "forever chemicals," are a growing health concern due to their presence in drinking water. Despite increasing regulations, consistent and comprehensive testing is still lacking. Using survey data for 1547 Michigan and Ohio respondents, this chapter estimates (1) WTP for monthly PFAS testing across all water utilities, (2) the cost of implementing the program, and (3) the affordability burden on households. Findings show strong public backing for monthly testing, with an average WTP of $277 per year. While testing costs vary by utility size and most systems could recover costs, smaller utilities are likely to face financial challenges due to their smaller user base. Notably, WTP is higher than the estimated policy cost for all utilities. Further the affordability analysis reveals that less than 1% of the sample households would cross water burden thresholds due to their additional costs for monthly PFAS testing. These results underscore the economic feasibility and net benefits of routine PFAS testing and highlight the need for targeted financial support for particularly small water systems.The third essay of this dissertation shifts focus to surface water pollution, specifically, non-point sources of pollution from agriculture. While Phosphorus (P) is essential for crop growth, excess application can pollute freshwater systems. For states with large freshwater resources, P management is an ongoing challenge. P can accumulate in the soil with repeated application over time and interact with the applied P to affect crop yields. To understand the role of P in the agricultural production process and design effective nutrient management strategies, it is important to analyze how crops react to this nutrient. Using data from 1,650 Michigan corn fields and a crop simulation model, this chapter analyzes how corn yields respond to P under different soil conditions. The analysis calculates both agronomic and profit-maximizing P application rates for corn production across regions and soil types. Corn is an ideal case study for this analysis, given its high nutrient demand and prevalence in Michigan's agricultural landscape. Results suggest that corn yield responds to P only in low soil P (0-5 ppm) fields. For existing average soil P levels in Michigan (79 ppm), the self-reported average P application of Michigan corn farmers exceeds the profit maximizing P application rate. We also estimate that a 10% increase in P prices faced by farmers would lead to a 3.1% reduction in the economically optimal private P application rate. Comparing model results with survey data confirms excess P application. This research offers practical insights for improving nutrient management and reducing agricultural runoff.
- 일반주제명
- Environmental science
- 일반주제명
- Agriculture
- 키워드
- Fertilizer
- 키워드
- Infrastructure
- 키워드
- Water resources
- 기타저자
- Michigan State University Agricultural Food and Resource Economics - Doctor of Philosophy
- 기본자료저록
- Dissertations Abstracts International. 87-02B.
- 전자적 위치 및 접속
- 로그인 후 원문을 볼 수 있습니다.
MARC
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■020 ▼a9798290944418
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■040 ▼aMiAaPQ▼cMiAaPQ
■0820 ▼a577
■1001 ▼aSarkar, Sampriti.▼0(orcid)0009-0000-9768-6624
■24510▼aEssays on Water Resource Management: Infrastructure, Affordability, Forever Chemicals, and Pollution
■260 ▼a[Sl]▼bMichigan State University▼c2025
■260 1▼aAnn Arbor▼bProQuest Dissertations & Theses▼c2025
■300 ▼a214 p
■500 ▼aSource: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-02, Section: B.
■500 ▼aAdvisor: Lupi, Frank.
■5021 ▼aThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University, 2025.
■520 ▼aManagement of water resources is essential for a sustainable society. However, the water sector faces multiple, interrelated challenges that complicate effective water resource management. This dissertation focuses on four major challenges in the water sector: aging water infrastructure, water affordability, forever chemicals in drinking water, and runoff from agricultural fields. The first chapter investigates public support for policies that replace aging water and sewer infrastructure and improve water affordability for low-income households. Much of the U.S. water and sewer infrastructure is nearing the end of its functional life and requires costly replacement. While government funding has increased in recent years, it remains insufficient to meet the projected funding gap. Additionally, water affordability is a concern for many U.S. households. Rising costs to cover infrastructure upgrades could worsen affordability issues, especially for vulnerable households. Since water and sewer utilities rely on user fees for their revenue, understanding consumer preferences for such policies is crucial. This study uses an online survey with a choice experiment to estimate support for infrastructure replacement and affordability program among Michigan and Ohio residents. This study also explores potential behavioral factors that can influence preference for water and sewer policies. Specifically, we hypothesize that altruistic preferences and concerns about resource waste can affect consumer preferences for water and sewer policies. Findings reveal that respondents value improvements in health and environmental outcomes resulting from infrastructure replacement as well as affordability programs assisting low-income households. Notably, altruists generally display a higher willingness to pay (WTP) for programs compared to non-altruists. However, altruists harboring concerns about beneficiaries' water wastefulness have a lower WTP for an affordability program compared to non-altruists without such concerns, which underscore the complex dual nature of altruism in public support for community water programs. The findings offer critical insights for academics, policymakers, and stakeholders aiming to design effective strategies that address both infrastructure replacement and water affordability challenges.The second chapter of this dissertation estimates the WTP for monthly per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing in in public water systems. PFAS, or "forever chemicals," are a growing health concern due to their presence in drinking water. Despite increasing regulations, consistent and comprehensive testing is still lacking. Using survey data for 1547 Michigan and Ohio respondents, this chapter estimates (1) WTP for monthly PFAS testing across all water utilities, (2) the cost of implementing the program, and (3) the affordability burden on households. Findings show strong public backing for monthly testing, with an average WTP of $277 per year. While testing costs vary by utility size and most systems could recover costs, smaller utilities are likely to face financial challenges due to their smaller user base. Notably, WTP is higher than the estimated policy cost for all utilities. Further the affordability analysis reveals that less than 1% of the sample households would cross water burden thresholds due to their additional costs for monthly PFAS testing. These results underscore the economic feasibility and net benefits of routine PFAS testing and highlight the need for targeted financial support for particularly small water systems.The third essay of this dissertation shifts focus to surface water pollution, specifically, non-point sources of pollution from agriculture. While Phosphorus (P) is essential for crop growth, excess application can pollute freshwater systems. For states with large freshwater resources, P management is an ongoing challenge. P can accumulate in the soil with repeated application over time and interact with the applied P to affect crop yields. To understand the role of P in the agricultural production process and design effective nutrient management strategies, it is important to analyze how crops react to this nutrient. Using data from 1,650 Michigan corn fields and a crop simulation model, this chapter analyzes how corn yields respond to P under different soil conditions. The analysis calculates both agronomic and profit-maximizing P application rates for corn production across regions and soil types. Corn is an ideal case study for this analysis, given its high nutrient demand and prevalence in Michigan's agricultural landscape. Results suggest that corn yield responds to P only in low soil P (0-5 ppm) fields. For existing average soil P levels in Michigan (79 ppm), the self-reported average P application of Michigan corn farmers exceeds the profit maximizing P application rate. We also estimate that a 10% increase in P prices faced by farmers would lead to a 3.1% reduction in the economically optimal private P application rate. Comparing model results with survey data confirms excess P application. This research offers practical insights for improving nutrient management and reducing agricultural runoff.
■590 ▼aSchool code: 0128.
■650 4▼aEnvironmental science
■650 4▼aAgriculture
■650 4▼aWater resources management
■653 ▼aContingent valuation
■653 ▼aFertilizer
■653 ▼aInfrastructure
■653 ▼aPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
■653 ▼aWater resources
■690 ▼a0503
■690 ▼a0768
■690 ▼a0473
■690 ▼a0474
■690 ▼a0595
■71020▼aMichigan State University▼bAgricultural, Food and Resource Economics - Doctor of Philosophy.
■7730 ▼tDissertations Abstracts International▼g87-02B.
■790 ▼a0128
■791 ▼aPh.D.
■792 ▼a2025
■793 ▼aEnglish
■85640▼uhttp://www.riss.kr/pdu/ddodLink.do?id=T17358594▼nKERIS▼z이 자료의 원문은 한국교육학술정보원에서 제공합니다.
