Determinants of Individuals' Willingness to Pay for Perceived Reductions in Environmental Health Risks: A Case Study of Bathing Water Quality

1998 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Georgiou ◽  
I H Langford ◽  
I J Bateman ◽  
R K Turner

A contingent valuation (CV) study was undertaken to investigate individuals' stated willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce perceived risks of illness from the quality of bathing water at two beaches in East Anglia, United Kingdom. One beach, Great Yarmouth, failed to meet the EC (European Community) Bathing Water Quality Directive standard, whereas the other at Lowestoft passed. The analysis focuses on determinants of individuals' WTP, including measures of risk perception and attitudes to health not usually measured in CV studies. A conceptual model is then presented which sets the valuation of individual preferences in the context of personal worldviews, and external cultural, societal, and environmental factors which may influence, directly or indirectly, an individual's stated WTP.

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1219-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Locatelli ◽  
Beniamino Russo ◽  
Alejandro Acero Oliete ◽  
Juan Carlos Sánchez Catalán ◽  
Eduardo Martínez-Gomariz ◽  
...  

Abstract. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) affect bathing water quality of receiving water bodies by bacterial pollution. The aim of this study is to assess the health hazard of bathing waters affected by CSOs. This is useful for bathing water managers, for risk assessment purposes, and for further impact and economic assessments. Pollutant hazard was evaluated based on two novel indicators proposed in this study: the mean duration of insufficient bathing water quality (1) over a period of time (i.e., several years) and (2) after single CSO/rain events. In particular, a novel correlation between the duration of seawater pollution and the event rainfall volume was developed. Pollutant hazard was assessed through a coupled urban drainage and seawater quality model that was developed, calibrated and validated based on local observations. Furthermore, hazard assessment was based on a novel statistical analysis of continuous simulations over a 9-year period using the coupled model. Finally, a validation of the estimated hazard is also shown. The health hazard was evaluated for the case study of Badalona (Spain) even though the methodology presented can be considered generally applicable to other urban areas and related receiving bathing water bodies. The case study presented is part of the EU-funded H2020 project BINGO (Bringing INnovation to OnGOing water management – a better future under climate change).


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-196
Author(s):  
Renata Aparecida Costa ◽  
Antonio Roberto Saad ◽  
Anderson Targino da Silva Ferreira ◽  
Maria Carolina Hernandez Ribeiro ◽  
Regina De Oliveira Moraes Arruda

Brazilian coastal zone comprises more than 8,000 km of extension, which together with the tropical climate, increase the interest of the coastal tourism in the coastal zone. Consequently, the demand for services in coastal cities, such as basic sanitation, is also increasing. In this way, the evaluation of the beach waters quality is of great relevance, since the contact with contaminated water can raise the exposure to pathogenic microorganisms and with this the transmission of waterborne diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the balneability of two beaches (Enseada and São Lourenço, municipality of Bertioga, São Paulo State, SP, Brazil) using sanitary conditions as indicators. The soil coverture and sanitary sewage system were related to the quality of the beach waters. For the analyzed period (2010 to 2016) a direct correlation (R = 0.58 and R = 0.46) was observed between the monitoring stations balneability using the criteria of the “Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente” (National Council of the Environment) CONAMA 274/2000 and the World Health Organization, respectively, and the index of the sanitary sewage system for the region, similarly, the coefficient of determination (R²) presented values of 0.34 and 0.21. The results of the applied methodology allowed a satisfactory evaluation of the water quality of selected beaches and suggested that the São Lourenço beach has a better sanitary sewage system and, consequently, a better bathing water quality and lower risks to the bathers health, while the Enseada Beach presented regular indices due to the lack of a sewage collection system in most of this settlement area. ResumoA zona costeira brasileira compreende mais de 8.000 km de extensão, que aliada ao clima tropical, aumentam o interesse pelo turismo no litoral. Consequentemente, também aumenta a sobrecarga nos serviços das cidades litorâneas, como o de saneamento básico. Dessa forma, a avaliação da qualidade das águas praiais é de grande relevância, pois o contato dos banhistas com águas contaminadas pode elevar a exposição a microrganismos patogênicos, e com isso a transmissão de doenças de veiculação hídrica. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a balneabilidade de duas praias (Enseada e São Lourenço, município de Bertioga-SP, SE Brasil) utilizando-se as condições sanitárias como indicadores. Para isto, buscou-se relacionar a cobertura do solo e esgotamento sanitário com a qualidade das águas das praias. Para o período analisado (2010 a 2016), observou-se uma correlação direta (R = 0,58 e R = 0,46) entre a balneabilidade dos pontos de monitoramento (critérios da Resolução CONAMA 274/2000 e da Organização Mundial da Saúde, respectivamente) e o índice de esgotamento sanitário da região; de maneira semelhante, o coeficiente de determinação (R²) apresentou valores 0,34 e 0,21. Por fim, os resultados mostraram que a metodologia utilizada permitiu avaliar a balneabilidade das praias selecionadas de forma satisfatória. Assim, a praia de São Lourenço demonstrou melhores condições de esgotamento sanitário e, como consequência, melhor balneabilidade e menores riscos à saúde dos banhistas, enquanto que a Praia da Enseada apresentou índices regulares em decorrência da inexistência de rede coletora de esgoto na maior parte de sua área.


Author(s):  
I.V. Glazunova ◽  
◽  
N.P. Karpenko ◽  
A.M. Bakshtanin

The relevance of the article is determined by the importance of water quality control in the water bodies for bathing, which can directly affect the health of the population and social conditions in the field of water recreation, water sports and tourism. The aim of the study is to analyze the structure and dynamics of the bathing water quality in the European Union based on the results of a review of the literature sources, as well as to compare approaches to this issue in Russia and the EU countries. The practical significance of the publi-cation is to disseminate the experience of the European Union in monitoring the quality of municipal water in the bathing areas, taking into account the requirements of the EU water Directive as well as in comparison with the review of the Russian experience. A brief overview of the situation with water quality in water bodies used for bathing in the European Union and Russia is given, and the current EU water directives are taken into account in a socially oriented approach.


2013 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 71-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca Schippmann ◽  
Gerald Schernewski ◽  
Ulf Gräwe ◽  
Hans Burchard ◽  
Tomasz Walczykiewicz

Author(s):  
Dominik Galić ◽  
Arijana Cenov ◽  
Dražen Lušić ◽  
Marin Glad ◽  
Slaven Jozić ◽  
...  

Introduction: The Republic of Croatia (HR) has significantly invested in monitoring the quality of inland bathing areas during the past 10 years. The aim of this paper was to analyze the results obtained during the 2014-2019 period and to compare them with the Region (non-European Union [EU] countries neighboring Croatia) and EU. Moreover, bathing water quality data at two bathing areas of Zagreb (lakes Jarun and Bundek) were processed in more detail.Methods: The quality of inland bathing areas in the HR is monitored in five rivers and five lakes in nine Croatian counties; 19 of the 35 monitored sites are located in Zagreb County. Escherichia coli (EC) was determined by EN ISO 9308-3: 1998, while intestinal enterococci (ENT) were defined by EN ISO 7899-2: 2000. Statistical processing of the results was performed using the Microsoft Excel Statistical Package (Redmond, USA) and Statistica 13.5. (Stat.Sof.Inc., Tulsa, USA); the significance level was set to p < 0.05.Results: During the study period, the worst Croatian inland water quality was recorded in 2019 (excellent quality for only 25.9% of the bathing areas), while the best quality was recorded in 2015 (excellent quality in 57.1%). On average (2014-2019), the share of bathing areas with excellent quality in Croatia was 46.3% (i.e., under the EU average of 85.3%); with no poor locations (EU average was nearly 2%). A significant positive correlation was found between fecal indicators (EC&ENT) and the amount of precipitation, while a negative correlation with water and air temperature in lakes.Conclusions: The quality of Croatian inland bathing areas is significantly lower than the European average, while EU water quality is improving. Regarding the countries bordering Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary have achieved better results, while Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are still in the process of developing the monitoring of the bathing water quality.


2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.M. David ◽  
J.S Matos

Wet weather urban discharges are responsible for bathing water contamination. The proposal for a revised EU Directive concerning the quality of bathing water imposes significantly more stringent requirements for the management of bathing water quality, with particularly important repercussions on beaches subjected to short-term pollution incidents. The paper reviews the aspects from EU legislation most directly related to the problem of wet-weather discharges, placing special emphasis on the recent revision process of the Directive on bathing water quality, and evaluates the benefits of some potential solutions based on continuous modelling of a combined sewer system. Increasing the sewer system storage capacity or the STP hydraulic capacity may substantially reduce the untreated discharge volumes, but spill frequency reductions under 2 to 3 spill days per bathing season will hardly be achieved. Results show the severe strains that local rainfall patterns would place on compliance with the Commission's proposal for a revised Directive and highlight the importance of the changes introduced in the amended proposal recently approved by the Council, making it less prescriptive if adequate measures are adopted to prevent bathers' exposure to short-term pollution incidents.


Water ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 4752-4777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoxian Huang ◽  
Roger Falconer ◽  
Binliang Lin

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document