Date of Award
12-2006
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Legacy Department
Applied Economics
Committee Chair/Advisor
Templeton, Scott
Abstract
Structural stormwater management practices help reduce the quantity and improve quality of stormwater runoff. This dissertation focuses on costs and cost effectiveness of these practices. Design, construction and maintenance costs data that were collected from six different sources and adjusted for purchasing power differences over time and location are analyzed using stochastic Leontief cost functions. Effects on these costs of land prices, wages for engineering, construction, and landscaping services, water storage or treatment, and differences in designs of the SMPs and the biophysical regions in which they are located are estimated with the Leontief functions. Results indicate that all SMPs exhibit economies of size in at least one of the different regions considered. Land price significantly determines total costs of ponds and wetlands. Input prices and differences in biophysical regions and designs are also significant determinants of the costs of some SMPs.
A comparative study of costs of the SMPs, given the same pollutant removal capacity, is provided. Bioretention cells are less expensive than ponds or wetlands in highly urbanized areas where the land costs are relatively high. Costs per milligrams of pollutant removed per liter of stormwater inflow are analyzed for two bioretention cells. A procedure to calculate the cost effectiveness of a particular SMP in removing pollutant and reducing runoff is illustrated.
Recommended Citation
Sharma, Ritu, "Economic Analysis of Stormwater Management Practices" (2006). All Dissertations. 39.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/39