ABSTRACT:Alternate solutions to a contemporary water resource management problem are developed: 53 municipalities in Wisconsin's Lake Michigan watershed must reduce their phosphorus input to the lake by 85 percent of their influent load. Different definitions of fairness, based on legal and philosophical principles, form the foundation for 18 distinct policy options. The definitions of fairness include: (1) contractual agreement; (2) precedent; (3) the market system; (4) egalitarianism; and (5) equal treatment of equals and differential treatment of unequals, with equals defined in terms of need, worth, ability to pay, who receives the benefits, and the dictates of existing technology. Two alternatives are seen to dominate: (A) municipalities could form contractual relationships to meet the removal requirement as groups, and enjoy least cost operating schedules that save money for members of each group; and (B) whereas 20 of the municipalities collect 91 percent of all phosphorus collected in the watershed, a removal of 90 percent of their influent phosphorus alone ensures that the watershed meets the standard. Under this option, the other 33 municipalities are not required to remove phosphorus. Reasons for the dominance of the two policies are discussed in detail.
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