Theses and Dissertations Collection

Understanding residential water preferences allows utility and municipal wa- ter managers to improve residents’ welfare through informed pricing and investment decisions. This paper employs a choice experiment (CE) to elicit residents’ stated preferences for water sources, storage methods, and conservation policies across the inland Pacific Northwest. Generally, results suggest that–conditional on needing an additional municipal water supply–individuals have a strong aversion to creek-water, and are relatively indifferent to reclaimed wastewater or additional diversions from large rivers. Residents also have a strong preference for additional local water storage, either in the form of aquifer injection or reservoirs. CE results also suggest strong heterogeneity in preferences correlated with gender, current water supplier (municipal or personal well), and where respondents grew up. In particular, males are signifi- cantly more price-driven than females, and well-owners have a strong preference for municipal water reclamation.