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Potential Economic Impacts of Environmental Flows Following a Possible Listing of Endangered Texas Freshwater Mussels
Author(s) -
Wolaver Brad D.,
Cook Cassandra E.,
Sunding David L.,
Hamilton Stephen F.,
Scanlon Bridget R.,
Young Michael H.,
Xu Xianli,
Reedy Robert C.
Publication year - 2014
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/jawr.12171
Subject(s) - endangered species , environmental science , economic impact analysis , water resources , water resource management , population , surface water , habitat , fishery , ecology , environmental engineering , economics , biology , demography , sociology , microeconomics
Texas water resources, already taxed by drought and population growth, could be further stressed by possible listings of endangered aquatic species. This study estimated potential economic impacts of environmental flows ( EF s) for five freshwater unionid mussels in three Central Texas basins (Brazos, Colorado, and Guadalupe‐San Antonio Rivers) that encompass 36% of Texas (~246,000 km 2 ). A water availability model projected reductions in water supply to power, commercial and industrial, municipal, and agriculture sectors in response to possible EF s for mussels. Single‐year economic impacts were calculated using publicly available data with and without water transfers. Benefits of EF s should also be assessed, should critical habitat be proposed. Potential economic losses were highest during droughts, but were nominal (<$1 M) in wetter years — even with high EF s. Reduced supplies to San Antonio area power plants caused worst‐case impacts of a single‐year shutdown up to $107 million (M) during drought with high EF s. For other sectors in the study area, water transfers reduced worst‐case losses from $80 to $11 M per year. Implementing innovative water management strategies such as water markets, conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater, aquifer storage and recovery could mitigate economic impacts if mussels — or other widely distributed aquatic species — were listed. However, approaches for defining EF s and strategies for mitigating economic impacts of EF s are needed.