Valuing a Spatially Variable Environmental Resource: Reducing Non-Point-Source Pollution in Green Bay, Wisconsin

This article investigates the value of reducing non-point-source pollution in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Using stated preference methods, we find the lower bound on the benefits of reducing runoff enough to universally increase water clarity by 4 ft is greater than $10 million annually. Using a unique survey design, we show that because current water clarity in Green Bay is spatially variable, the value that a household places on this universal improvement depends on the distance of the household’s residence from the bay and on the particular geospatial location of the residence. This has important implications for estimating aggregate benefits. (JEL Q51, Q53)

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