| Title: | Framing scenarios of binational water policy with a tool to visualize, quantify and valuate changes in ecosystem services |
| Authors: | Norman, L.M., M.L. Villarreal, R. Niraula, T. Meixner, G. Frisvold and W. Labiosa |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Journal: | Water |
| Volume (Issue): | 5(3) |
| Pages: | 852-874 |
| Article ID: | |
| DOI: | 10.3390/w5030852 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic only |
| Primary Application Category: | hydrologic assessment |
| Secondary Application Category: | economic and or cost/benefit assessment |
| Watershed Description: | Santa Cruz in northern Sonora (in Mexico) and southern Arizona |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | In the Santa Cruz Watershed, located on the Arizona-Sonora portion of the
U.S.-Mexico border, an international wastewater treatment plant treats wastewater from
cities on both sides of the border, before discharging it into the river in Arizona. These
artificial flows often subsidize important perennial surface water ecosystems in the region.
An explicit understanding of the benefits of maintaining instream flow for present and
future generations requires the ability to assess and understand the important trade-offs
implicit in water-resource management decisions. In this paper, we outline an approach for
modeling and visualizing impacts of management decisions in terms of rare terrestrial and
aquatic wildlife, vegetation, surface water, groundwater recharge, real-estate values and
socio-environmental vulnerable communities. We identify and quantify ecosystem services
and model the potential reduction in effluent discharge to the U.S. that is under scrutiny
by binational water policy makers and of concern to stakeholders. Results of service
provisioning are presented, and implications for policy makers and resource managers are
discussed. This paper presents a robust ecosystem services assessment of multiple
scenarios of watershed management as a means to discern eco-hydrological responses and
consider their potential values for future generations living in the borderlands. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | ecosystem services; effluent; scenario analysis; water policy; public value;
riparian change |