Constructed wetlands for water quality improvements: Benefit transfer analysis from Ohio

• Published in: Journal of environmental management 2018-01, Vol.206, p.1063-1071
• Main Authors: Irwin, N.B., Irwin, E.G., Martin, J.F., Aracena, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Constructed wetlands; Homeowner; Ohio; Phosphorus; Quality Improvement; Recreation users; Water; Water Quality; Wetlands; Willingness-to-pay
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.10.050

Water resources provide many benefits that generate value for residents and recreation users alike but run-off from agricultural and impervious surfaces can impair water quality, reducing any generated value. A possible solution to this problem is the construction of treatment wetlands to remove excessive nutrients from water bodies. This study uses environmental and economic data to approximate the costs of constructing and operating free surface water wetlands to remove phosphorus and estimates the amenity and recreational benefits of the resulting improvements in water quality for 24 lakes in Ohio. A ten percent improvement in water quality from a decrease in phosphorus loadings generates positive net benefits for all lakes in the sample with a lifetime cost benefit ratio of 2.92. The study also examines the potential use of constructed wetlands as the sole strategy to achieve a reduction goal for phosphorus loadings and find that the costs of doing so are prohibitive. Constructed wetlands can be a cost-effective component of a comprehensive strategy for small-scale nutrient reduction and water quality improvements for surface water bodies, but other treatment methods would be required to achieve any proposed targeted improvements. •Analysis of constructed wetlands to remove phosphorous as a method to improve water quality for homeowners and recreation users.•Wetlands provide small water quality improvements but size constraints limit implantation for large-scale pollution reduction targets.•The lifetime cost benefit ratio of wetland construction for a ten percent water quality improvement is 2.92.