A 'preliminary methodology' for valuing the environmental andsocial costs and benefits of water resources schemes has beendeveloped by the Environment Agency in England and Wales. This isnecessary to meet the requirement to take environmental and socialcosts and benefits into account in water resources planning. Thebackground, development and application of the preliminarymethodology are discussed. In order to inform the further developmentof the preliminary methodology, a survey of the water companiestasked with using it has been carried out. It is concluded thatdevelopment and application of the preliminary methodology is aqualified success. However, it is not possible to ascertain ifapplication of the methodology has resulted in the optimal balance ofwater resources development and environmental protection. The paucityof data for benefit transfer is the current major obstacle torefinement of the methodology, and more site-specific studies canprovide much data to refine it.
展开▼
