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An Estimation of the Private Value of Aquifer Recharge from Ephemeral Wetlands on the Texas High Plains

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  • Dacheng Bian

    (Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79410, USA)

  • Aaron Benson

    (Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79410, USA)

  • Ryan B. Williams

    (Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79410, USA)

Abstract

Ecosystem services are benefits people derive from resources in ecosystems. Playa lakes in the Southern High Plains region of North America provide several ecosystem services for humans, including recharge to the Ogallala aquifer. The Ogallala aquifer occupies 450,000 km 2 , it is part of eight states, and provides irrigation water to over 25% of the irrigated land in the United States. The recharge provided by playas potentially makes them important and valuable in this region. We develop an econometric model (with spatial aspects) to determine how playas affect the water level of irrigation wells and estimate the economic value to farmers of playa ecosystem services in recharging the water in those wells. We find that, in some instances, additional playa surface area may have a small but statistically significant effect on well drawdown (and, we infer, on recharge) on nearby wells, but that the value of the additional water is likely too small to significantly affect private management decisions. Because of lack of appropriate data, these results are of only limited applicability. We therefore identify a need for more research on the effects of management of sedimentation of playa wetlands as a key component that may improve the findings reported here.

Suggested Citation

  • Dacheng Bian & Aaron Benson & Ryan B. Williams, 2013. "An Estimation of the Private Value of Aquifer Recharge from Ephemeral Wetlands on the Texas High Plains," Resources, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-17, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:2:y:2013:i:3:p:286-302:d:28209
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. L. Allen Torell & James D. Libbin & Michael D. Miller, 1990. "The Market Value of Water in the Ogallala Aquifer," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 66(2), pages 163-175.
    2. Hardin, Daniel C. & Lacewell, Ronald D., 1980. "Temporal Implications Of Limitations On Annual Irrigation Water Pumped From An Exhaustible Aquifer," Western Journal of Agricultural Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, July.
    3. Costanza, Robert & d'Arge, Ralph & de Groot, Rudolf & Farber, Stephen & Grasso, Monica & Hannon, Bruce & Limburg, Karin & Naeem, Shahid & O'Neill, Robert V. & Paruelo, Jose, 1998. "The value of ecosystem services: putting the issues in perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 67-72, April.
    4. Costanza, Robert, 1998. "The value of ecosystem services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 1-2, April.
    5. Loomis, John & Kent, Paula & Strange, Liz & Fausch, Kurt & Covich, Alan, 2000. "Measuring the total economic value of restoring ecosystem services in an impaired river basin: results from a contingent valuation survey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 103-117, April.
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