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Benefit‐Cost Analysis of Integrated Water Resource Management: Accounting for Interdependence in the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan
Author(s) -
Yoder Jonathan,
Adam Jennifer,
Brady Michael,
Cook Joseph,
Katz Stephen,
Johnston Shane,
Malek Keyvan,
McMillan John,
Yang Qingqing
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/1752-1688.12507
Subject(s) - purchasing , resource (disambiguation) , water storage , integrated water resources management , context (archaeology) , structural basin , environmental science , water resource management , environmental economics , water resources , business , environmental resource management , computer science , engineering , economics , mechanical engineering , computer network , ecology , paleontology , marketing , inlet , biology
Integrated water resource management ( IWRM ) requires accounting for many interrelated facets of water systems, water uses and stakeholders, and water management activities. The consequence is that project analysis must account for the nonseparability among the component parts of IWRM plans. This article presents a benefit‐cost (B‐C) analysis of a set of projects included in the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan proposed for the Yakima Basin in south‐central Washington State. The analysis accounts for interdependence among proposed water storage projects and between water storage and water market development in the context of historical and more adverse projected future climate scenarios. Focusing on irrigation benefits from storage, we show that the value of a given proposed storage project is lower when other proposed storage projects in the basin are implemented, and when water markets are functioning effectively. We find that none of the water storage projects satisfy a B‐C criterion, and that assuring proposed instream flow augmentation is less expensive by purchasing senior diversion rights than relying on new storage to provide it.