What is Water Worth? New UA Publication Investigates the Value of Water in Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. (July 18, 2014) – How do Arizonans value water? Not only its price for consumers, but the myriad other ways users pay for water. The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) takes on this challenge in its newly released free publication, the 2014 Arroyo.

“People talk about the value of water as if it were an idea that everyone understands, but water’s value is incredibly difficult to define,” said Arroyo Editor and WRRC Assistant Director Susanna Eden. “In this year’s Arroyo, we ask readers to appreciate the complexity involved in defining the value of water, which can change from one user to the next, and is constantly evolving.”

As water in Arizona becomes increasingly scarce, potential water supply solutions must be based on a comprehensive understanding of how water is valued to different stakeholders. The 2014 Arroyo is a wide-ranging review of the surprisingly complicated factors that contribute to the value of water, including its prices, costs and other charges; its cultural and spiritual value; its value in the environment; its virtual value, calculated from its use in the production of economic goods and services like clothing and food; and much more.

The Arroyo makes every effort to present the issues in determining the value of water as objectively as possible, and asks readers to determine their own answer to the intricate question, “What is the value of water?”

Download the free 2014 Arroyo here

Learn more about the WRRC at https://wrrc.arizona.edu.

###