Water Pricing Research Articles

Cost analysis of water charge rates in the Czech Republic – Case study

The article was conceived as an initial insight into the issues related to the representation of individual type costs (e.g. material, labor costs, property depreciation, etc.) in the price of water in the Czech Republic. The aim of the article was to point out the possibility of dependence between the size of the company operating the infrastructural property of water supply and sewerage and the representation of individual costs in the water price within the framework of the case study. As a sample that formed the outputs of the case study, 14 companies were taken, which were selected according to the unified regions of the Czech Republic. Both basic mathematical methods and elementary methods used in financial analysis were used in the analysis. Within the scope of the case study, it can be stated that there is no dependence between the size of the companies and the representation of costs. Among the largest costs from the point of view of financial representation are other direct costs, where the costs of depreciation, property repairs, rental property, as well as wage costs and material costs are mainly represented. Insignificant costs include, for example, energy costs, which are only represented in the range of 1.39–5.70% of the total costs. Therefore, in order for the results included in the case study to be considered statistically relevant, it is necessary to expand the sample and confirm or refute the initial findings published in this article.

Modeling Quality and Price Perception in the Choice of Drinking Water in France: A Hybrid Choice Model Approach

AbstractThe water resources literature usually discards the important price difference between bottled water and tap water as a predictor of drinking water choice. In France, bottled water is about 100 times more expensive than tap water. Using 4,003 survey responses, we model water resources quality (mis)‐perception and water price (mis)‐perceptions by means of a hybrid choice model. We show that respondents who are more likely to consider the quality of water resources as “very poor” or “poor” are less likely to drink tap water. Furthermore, we find that respondents who do not report the correct price difference between tap water and bottled water are more likely to drink bottled water, which is a novel finding, as significant price effects of this type have never been reported in the literature on drinking water choice.

Water desalination using PV panels based on boiling and evaporation

The annual share of water in Egypt has decreased to approximately 500 m3 per capita, while the annual water scarcity level is 1000 m3 per capita, which indicates that Egyptians are at a high risk of living. A domestic desalination unit based on solar energy was designed, built, and tested to solve this problem in remote areas that do not have access to fresh water or electricity but have access to salty water. The desalination unit has a new design that depends on boiling salty water using photovoltaic solar cells and then condensing the water vapor through a heat exchanger to obtain freshwater. This new design has not been implemented before and can compete with the solar stills used for domestic applications. The output of the developed unit was compared to those of passive and active solar stills that have been developed and built. The new desalination design produced almost the same amount of daily fresh water, 4 Liter/day, compared to the other solar stills (2–4.75 Liter/day), but the cost per unit volume of the new design, 31 $/m3, is less by 30% compared to the best performing solar still, 44.55 $/m3, which produces only 2 Liter/day. The price of the distilled water produced by the new design was 75% lower than the market price at the time of conducting the experiments. Converting a Solar still from a passive system, that is, operating only during sunlight, to an active system operating day and night improves the water productivity rate. However, this is not feasible because of the added accessories that increase the initial cost, consequently increasing the cost of desalination.

Hanehalkı Su Tüketimi ve Tarife Yapısı: Türkiye’de Üç Büyükşehir Üzerine Bir Analizi

Analysis of urban water management has been researched in several countries. However, the attention given to this subject in Türkiye remains limited. This study addresses this research gap by focusing on the analysis of water tariffs, a critical tool for urban water management policies of local governments in Türkiye. The research aim is to investigate issues related to the attributes widely studied globally when the Türkiye case is considered. The study utilises a dataset from the Household Budget Survey of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) between 2015 and 2018. The research has two folds. First, household water tariffs, average water prices, water consumption levels, and household characteristics are comprehensively examined in three metropolitan cities of Türkiye, namely, İstanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. Secondly, water consumption data is compiled from diverse geographical regions worldwide and compared with the ones in Türkiye. The findings reveal that the accessibility to clean water and the financial burden of clean water on household budgets, particularly for low-income households in Türkiye, are notably disadvantaged compared to many developed countries.

Capitalizing on H2o: Examining the Potential Risks of Privatizing Puntland's Water Supply Companies

This research delves into the intricate dynamics of water supply management in Puntland, exploring the potential risks and benefits associated with the privatization of water supply companies. The study is situated in a context where the government, once holding full control over water supply, now owns less than 20% of the industry. Rapid urbanization in Puntland presents a significant challenge, with a projected 67% of the population concentrated in urban centers within the next thirty years. The paper investigates the adherence of private water supply companies to international standards for water quality, addressing concerns about equitable access and profit-driven motivations. Advocating for a government-led strategic plan, the research proposes water pricing reforms to enhance efficiency and affordability. Set against the unique geographical and sociopolitical landscape of Puntland, the study evaluates the current state of water supply industries, shedding light on revenue disparities, household connections, pricing strategies, asset ownership, and reticulation costs.

Assessment by bioeconomic modeling water price scenarios of the resilience of agricultural production systems in a semi-arid region: Case of Baalbeck El Hermel – Lebanon

Baalbeck El Hermel Governorate, particularly the semi-arid region is increasingly threatened by climate change. These disturbances, more specifically, concerning the limit in water resources generate problems for the agricultural systems constituting the principle source of families’ subsistence in this zone. This study was established to evaluate, via a bioeconomic modeling approach, the resilience of agricultural systems in Baalbeck El Hermel and perceive their adaptation techniques under conditions of water scarcity. In this context, we have selected three typical farms representative of the driest northern zone receiving the least precipitation.
 Several behaviors and levels of resilience of these farms were showed after analysis of the results: 1) farms specializing in market gardening or perennial crops are very sensitive to drought conditions and are not resilient in the face of water limit conditions; 2) the diversified farm with olive tree dominance is less sensitive and more resilient. The analysis of the water pricing scenario showed an improvement in water management but a limit in the adaptive capacity of farmers, hence the necessity to adapt resilience-building strategies for the targeted zone.

Consumers’ WTP for Sustainability Turfgrass Attributes with Consideration of Aesthetic Attributes and Water Conservation Policies

This study estimates consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainability turfgrass attributes such as low-input and stress-tolerance attributes, while considering potential trade-off relationships between aesthetic attributes and sustainability attributes. To address our objectives, our study conducts a choice experiment and estimates two mixed logit models. The first model includes low-input, winter kill, and shade-tolerance attributes as predictor variables, and the second model extends the first model by adding interaction terms between the aesthetic and sustainability attributes. Another choice experiment is conducted under water policies with various water rate increase and watering restriction scenarios. Results from the mixed logit models show that, overall, higher low-input cost reduction, less winter-damaged, and more shade-tolerant grasses are preferred, and that the direct effect of aesthetic attributes on consumers’ preferences is strong, but the indirect effects represented by the interaction terms are generally statistically insignificant. Our results indicate that consumers like to have a pretty lawn, but no strong consideration is given to the aesthetics of their lawn when selecting low-input and stress-tolerant turfgrasses. Our choice experiment under water policy scenarios suggests that water pricing is more effective than watering restriction in increasing consumer demand for water-conserving turfgrasses.

Feasibility of financing nature-based solutions for water security through water tariffs: Evidence from South Africa

Abstract In many countries, catchment restoration is underfunded. This study aims to address whether household water pricing could be used as a mechanism for securing funds for catchment restoration. The objectives were to determine households' willingness to pay (WTP) for their existing water use, investigate whether institutional trust and municipal satisfaction influenced WTP, and establish whether aggregate consumer surplus at the municipal scale could cover the costs needed to finance catchment restoration. Surveys were conducted on 502 households in three metropolitan municipalities in the City of Cape Town, eThekwini, and Nelson Mandela Bay. Contingent valuation revealed that average WTP for water was between 12 and 137% more and 32 and 73% more than what households currently pay for water per month in the City of Cape Town and eThekwini, respectively. Satisfaction with municipal service delivery positively influenced WTP, while institutional trust did not. The City of Cape Town, based on the aggregate WTP from the higher income categories, consumer surplus was 779 million South African Rand (ZAR)/year, more than double the estimated cost required to restore the catchment areas supplying water to the city over 30 years. In eThekwini, consumer surplus was equal to the amount needed over 30 years (250 million ZAR/year). These results demonstrate the significant potential to raise water tariffs for higher income households in metropolitan municipalities.

Household water bill perception in Brazil

An issue that affects the effectiveness of water pricing policies is consumer misperception, which implies that households decide their water consumption based on poor/inaccurate information about the marginal price. We use household survey data on bill and quality perception in Brazil to analyze this problem and its drivers. Once we control for the selection bias caused by survey respondents voluntarily providing their bill, we find evidence of Bill misperception. Apart from the informational and socioeconomic drivers usually considered in the literature, perceived water quality is a relevant factor in misperception.

Technical and economical design and optimization of a solar-biodiesel collector system to supply electricity and drink water in AbuMusa Island

A hybrid renewable energy system including microalgae cultivation ponds to produce biodiesel. The necessary heat for the biodiesel production system is provided by microalgae through a solar parabolic linear collector, and the water temperature of the ponds, which is supplied from the sea, is provided by a geothermal system. Additionally, the linear collector is utilized to supply the necessary heat for the solar water desalination system. All the simulations of the mentioned renewable systems, except for the solar collector, were carried out separately in ASPEN HYSYS software, and the solar collector was simulated in Fortran software. The results were utilized in the ASPEN HYSYS. The simulation results show that to supply 225 kW of power through a diesel generator, 492 microalgae cultivation ponds are needed and the share of biofuel in the power supply is 5 %. The biodiesel reactor produces fuel at a cost of 1.45 $/L and has an efficiency of 79.8 %. Also, by simulating the solar collector in the Fortran and using its results in solar water desalination, the minimum and maximum produced drinking water are 358 l/h in August and 609 l/h in October, respectively. The price of water produced is 3.45 $/m3.

Pricing of water and sewerage charge rates of a selected water management company in the Czech Republic – a case study

The article deals with water and sewerage charge rates issues in the Czech Republic over the last 4 years. This article is focused only on part of the research. Research is based on data collection. The data were obtained from the internet portal eAGRI.cz. The aim of the article is to describe the development of water and sewerage charge rates in the Czech Republic during the last 4 years (2018-2021) and to analyse the pricing of a selected company in the Czech Republic. First, analyse the average water and sewerage charge rates system in the Czech Republic in the monitored period, then define the average water and sewerage charge rates system for the individual regions in which the selected water management company operates. The goal of the research is the analysis of the individual components of the calculation formula of the selected water supply and sewerage operator in the Czech Republic, namely the joint-stock company Brněnské vodarny a kanalizace, a.s. The vertical analysis methodology is chosen for data evaluation. The analysed operator has the largest representation in other direct costs and material in the calculation formula.

Identification of Water Crisis Management Policy Indicators in the Country Based on the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) Approach

Objective: The aim of the present research was practical in terms of its objectives and descriptive-survey in terms of its data collection method, utilizing an Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) approach. Methodology: The participants of this study were 15 managers, policymakers, and water sector experts, who were purposefully invited to participate in this research. The tool used in this investigation was a closed-response questionnaire in a matrix format. The criterion for expertise at this stage was the respondent's professional legitimacy. Findings: The results of implementing the research model indicate that the most important components of the study include legal and regulatory environment factors, economic environment, cultural environment, conflict of interest management, culture building, participation drivers, trust, political strategies, crisis management necessity, constructive institutional interaction, motivation, communication factors, governmental actions, reform and adaptation, facilitative leadership, decision-making stability, financial support, guarantee of sustainable development, control of marginalization, attention to local capacities, appropriate water pricing, promotion of public monitoring, improvement of agricultural water use efficiency, consumption pattern improvement, and legal support. Conclusion: Therefore, issues such as economy and budgeting, healthcare, welfare and social security, education, energy, environmental damage, foreign policy, and national internal security, as well as threats to occupational and job security, or matters like insufficient access to healthcare services should be examined by the government, the private sector, and the commitment of individuals and companies, or a combination of both.

Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Yield of “Dual‐Priority” Water Rights in Carryover Systems at Catchment Scale

AbstractFuture water availability is threatened by changes in both climate and water demand. Water rights with differing priorities are an important foundation of demand‐side tools (e.g., buyback, water pricing, and water market) to improve water use efficiency and reduce water scarcity, especially in highly regulated river systems. This paper assesses the impact of climate change on water yields from carryover storage with dual‐priority (high/low) water rights allocation systems using a simple and rapid analytical method. The method characterizes reservoir inflows using readily available flow characteristics (annual mean and Cv). We evaluate this method against a water resource simulation model in the Goulburn River basin, Australia. In general, our analytical “dual‐priority” Gould‐Dincer model reproduces water allocation estimates from the simulation model. We further demonstrate this method across 12 Australian catchments to investigate the climate change impact on “dual‐priority” water rights yield at the catchment scale. The hydrological projections show decreasing mean annual runoff and increasing annual runoff variability, except for some catchments in northern Australia. Water yield for high‐priority water rights (HPWRs) and low‐priority water rights (LPWRs) decreases for most catchments except for some catchments in northern Australia. South Dandalup in the 2070s (RCP8.5) shows the largest percentage decrease in HPWR and LPWR yield (about −53.53% and −56.81%, respectively). Our results show that changes in mean annual inflow have a more significant influence on water yield of HPWR and LPWR than Cv. Overall, the simple method provides a rapid assessment of water yields with “dual‐priority” water rights which is applicable across multiple sites at regional or even global scale.

Quantitative Analysis of Correlation between US Army Installation Characteristics and Water Price

Quantitative Analysis of Correlation between US Army Installation Characteristics and Water Price

Criterion to evaluate the convenience of implementing evaporative precooling in air-cooled chillers

This study presents a criterion to determine if local conditions of meteorology and the cost of energy and water favor the use of evaporative precooling in air-cooled chillers. It has been found that when the energy saved per unit of water consumed is higher than the ratio between the cost of water and electricity, it is economically attractive to operate the chiller with evaporative precooling. Furthermore, we found that the energy savings are proportional to the annual average wet-bulb depression (AWBD) temperature. As a case study, we tested this criterion by comparing it with results of monitoring every ten minutes and for more than five months, the operation of a frequently used chiller (82 RT) working in northern Mexico. Considering the past six years of hourly meteorological conditions of this region, we found that, on average, 4.4% of the annual energy consumption can be saved by evaporative precooling. That saving could be up to 23% at some hours of the year. These results represent a potential saving of 35.7 MWh/year. However, it requires the use of 1,759 m3/year of water to moisten the air. Considering the current water and energy prices in the study region, the evaporative precooling represents a saving of USD 2,704/year. This monetary saving is relevant considering that many companies and buildings use tens of these chillers in their production line or air conditioning systems.

An applied study of a technique incorporating machine learning algorithms to optimize water demand prediction

Abstract In water resource management, accurate water demand prediction is essential for developing effective water supply strategies and optimizing resource allocation. This study aims to investigate machine learning algorithms, particularly echo state network (ESN) models, to improve the accuracy and efficiency of water demand prediction. ESN models are selected for their excellent nonlinear time series processing capabilities, which address the challenges of traditional prediction methods when dealing with complex water resource systems. By optimizing the parameters of the ESN model, the study hopes to provide a more scientific and efficient method for residential domestic and agricultural water demand forecasting, thus supporting more refined water resources planning and management decisions. Residential water demand prediction and crop water demand prediction are the two parts of this study. In the prediction of residential water demand, based on the actual data of City Z, the optimized ESN model predicts the water demand in 2025, and the total water demand in the baseline scenario is 790.9 million m3, and the expected values of water demand in different scenarios combined with the economic growth rate and the change of water price range from 659.4708 million m3 to 730.448 million m3. The article’s accuracy analysis of crop water demand prediction indicates that the model’s relative errors in predicting the water demand of the three major crops are limited to 10%. The ESN model optimized using the machine learning algorithm in this paper has good potential for water demand prediction and is an efficient and accurate prediction tool for managing water resources.

Seasonal Forecast of the California Water Price Index

Seasonal Forecast of the California Water Price Index

The circular economy of water across the six continents.

Water is our most valuable and precious resource, yet it is only available in a limited amount. Sustainable use of water can therefore only operate in a circular way; nonetheless, still today depletion of water resources proceeds at an accelerated pace. Here, we quantitatively assess the water circular economy and the status of water management across 132 countries distributed over six continents by introducing the water circular economy index, WCEI, based on the three pillars of water circular economy, i.e., decreasing, optimising, and retaining. This index relies on eight indicators such as water stress, tap water price, water use efficiency, the degree of water resource management, proportion of safely treated wastewater, population with access to safe drinking water, drinking water quality, and surface water changes in hydrological basins. It allows ranking 132 countries, and most importantly to identify criticalities and bottlenecks in the sustainable use of water resources across the six continents, pointing at possible directions and actions towards a fully circular economy of water.

Uji Kandungan Bakteriologi Air Minum Isi Ulang di Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Siko Kota Ternate

The rise of the Refill Drinking Water business is inseparable from the increasingly expensive of Ternate have water samples containing E coli bacteria. This can be caused by water price of Bottled Drinking Water. The aim of this research is to identify the E coli content in drinking water depots in the city of Ternate. This research used a descriptive research design using observational methods and laboratory tests and was carried out in the chemistry laboratory and workshop of the Environmental Health Department, Health Polytechnic, Ministry of Health, Ternate. The sample in this study was drinking water refills at 23 depots, by taking 300 cc of water samples. The results of the research showed that of the 23 drinking water depots examined, 7 samples contained E Coli bacteria. Of these, two are in Dufa-Dufa, two more depots are in Akehuda and the rest are located in Salero, Kasturian and SOA. The conclusion is that as many as 41% of all drinking water depots in the city reservoirs that are rarely cleaned, which can give rise to mold which can trigger the growth of bacteria, one of which is E coli. It is recommended that a thorough inspection of drinking water depots in Ternate City be carried out both by subsequent researchers and city officials.

The Operational Management Model for the Provision of Rural Drinking Water in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province

For the problems of "emphasizing construction over management" and the lack of long-term management mechanism of rural drinking water projects in China, this paper investigated and analyzed the management mode of rural water supply projects in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, and summarized the project operation and management experience from the aspects of project construction, water quality assurance, water price pricing and water fee collection, "digital" platform construction, supervision and management. It provides case experience for the construction plan, operation and implementation management of village and town water supply projects in other cities and regions,which would be beneficial for studying the long-term operation management mechanism of rural drinking water safety projects in China.