Water 2017, 9(3), 214; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9030214
Economic Insight from Utah’s Water Efficiency Supply Curve
1
Department of Applied Economics, Utah State University, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
2
Undergraduate Researchers, Utah State University, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Kristiana Hansen
Received: 27 October 2016 / Revised: 19 January 2017 / Accepted: 6 March 2017 / Published: 13 March 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Management Strategies for Addressing Long-Term Drought and Climate Uncertainty)
Abstract
Across the western US, growing populations and urbanization along with environmental demands and a changing climate have strained water allocation mechanisms originally designed to provide water to agriculture. This paper provides a methodology, using Utah as an example, for examining the options for new water supply via conservation, interpretable by policymakers, water agencies, and water users. Findings indicate that the largest potential water savings, at the lowest cost, are in agriculture and outdoor residential water use, where more efficient applications can maintain the acreage of crops and lawns at current levels while dramatically reducing use. View Full-TextKeywords:
water efficiency; conservation; water rights; water markets
▼
Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Edwards, E.C.; Bosworth, R.C.; Adams, P.; Baji, V.; Burrows, A.; Gerdes, C.; Jones, M. Economic Insight from Utah’s Water Efficiency Supply Curve. Water 2017, 9, 214.
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.