Water productivity is in the eye of the beholder: benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the Phoenix metropolitan area
<p>Water productivity (or efficiency) data inform water policy, zoning, and planning, along with water allocation decisions under water scarcity pressure. This paper demonstrates that different water productivity metrics lead to different conclusions about who is using water more effectively....
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/1089/2024/hess-28-1089-2024.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797289380108304384 |
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| author | B. L. Ruddell R. Rushforth |
| author_facet | B. L. Ruddell R. Rushforth |
| author_sort | B. L. Ruddell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Water productivity (or efficiency) data inform water policy, zoning, and planning, along with water allocation decisions under water scarcity pressure. This paper demonstrates that different water productivity metrics lead to different conclusions about who is using water more effectively. In addition to supporting the population's drinking and sanitation needs, water generates many other public and private social, environmental, and economic values. For the group of municipalities comprising the Phoenix metropolitan area, we compare several water productivity metrics by calculating the water value intensity (WVI) of potable water delivered by the municipality to its residential and non-residential customers. Core cities with more industrial water uses are less productive by the conventional efficiency measure of water used per capita, but core cities generate more tax revenues, business revenues, and payroll per unit of water delivered, achieving a higher water productivity by these measures. We argue that policymakers should consider a more diverse set of socio-economic water productivity measures to ensure that a broader set of values are represented in water allocation policies.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T19:03:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-28549979dd3f477d88144c3e02d50455 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T19:03:08Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-28549979dd3f477d88144c3e02d504552024-03-01T10:26:17ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382024-03-01281089110610.5194/hess-28-1089-2024Water productivity is in the eye of the beholder: benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the Phoenix metropolitan areaB. L. RuddellR. Rushforth<p>Water productivity (or efficiency) data inform water policy, zoning, and planning, along with water allocation decisions under water scarcity pressure. This paper demonstrates that different water productivity metrics lead to different conclusions about who is using water more effectively. In addition to supporting the population's drinking and sanitation needs, water generates many other public and private social, environmental, and economic values. For the group of municipalities comprising the Phoenix metropolitan area, we compare several water productivity metrics by calculating the water value intensity (WVI) of potable water delivered by the municipality to its residential and non-residential customers. Core cities with more industrial water uses are less productive by the conventional efficiency measure of water used per capita, but core cities generate more tax revenues, business revenues, and payroll per unit of water delivered, achieving a higher water productivity by these measures. We argue that policymakers should consider a more diverse set of socio-economic water productivity measures to ensure that a broader set of values are represented in water allocation policies.</p>https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/1089/2024/hess-28-1089-2024.pdf |
| spellingShingle | B. L. Ruddell R. Rushforth Water productivity is in the eye of the beholder: benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the Phoenix metropolitan area Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Water productivity is in the eye of the beholder: benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the Phoenix metropolitan area |
| title_full | Water productivity is in the eye of the beholder: benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the Phoenix metropolitan area |
| title_fullStr | Water productivity is in the eye of the beholder: benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the Phoenix metropolitan area |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water productivity is in the eye of the beholder: benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the Phoenix metropolitan area |
| title_short | Water productivity is in the eye of the beholder: benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the Phoenix metropolitan area |
| title_sort | water productivity is in the eye of the beholder benchmarking the multiple values produced by water use in the phoenix metropolitan area |
| url | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/1089/2024/hess-28-1089-2024.pdf |
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