Abstract

Estimating the cost, quality, and price margins of water by location
Track: Water Resources
Authors: Serene Ong, Monobina Mukherjee, Jess Chen

The costs to provide water and water quality vary by location, while the price of water varies by location and by end-use. When water is not priced in accordance with its spatially heterogeneous cost of provision, overuse and rationing in droughts may occur, threatening economic activity that depends on water. We construct a dataset of discrepancies between costs, qualities and prices by geography to identify locations at risk and those with financial room for innovation in water conservation.