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Public Choice and Urban Water Quality *
Author(s) -
Delorme Charles D.,
Wood Norman J.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
american journal of economics and sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1536-7150
pISSN - 0002-9246
DOI - 10.1111/j.1536-7150.1976.tb03006.x
Subject(s) - pollutant , effluent , water quality , environmental science , pollution , environmental planning , quality (philosophy) , water resource management , water resources , environmental engineering , business , environmental protection , chemistry , ecology , philosophy , organic chemistry , epistemology , biology
A bstract . It is the purpose of this paper to examine critically the choice of “zero discharge” as me ultimate goal of our federal water pollution policy and to demonstrate that a goal of 90 percent removal of pollutants from effluents of urban areas will be more economically efficient. Our results indicate that in reaching “Zero discharge,” there is a minimal return in water quality for urban areas which are located on large bodies of water. The final conclusion is that the substantial resources, which would be required to surpass the level of 90 percent removal of pollutants, could be employed more effectively in other social programs.