ABSTRACT

This study provides a monetary value for groundwater by estimating the cost for the year 2020 to replace its use in public supply for 5 million people in west-central Florida, USA. The alternatives include building reservoirs and desalinization plants, water reuse, and conservation measures, with the most expensive being building more reservoirs at US$4.5 billion and least is conservation at US$840 million. This region’s regulators recognize the need to reduce the reliance on groundwater and have implemented programmes to promote the above alternatives. While water conservation is the most sustainable option, barriers related to policies and investment reduce the effectiveness of this approach.

摘要

本研究通过估算 2020 年为美国佛罗里达州中西部 500 万人替代公共供水的成本，为地下水提供了货币价值。替代方案包括建造水库和海水淡化厂、中水回用和保护措施，其中最昂贵的是建造更多的水库，耗资 45 亿美元，而保护成本最低的是 8.4 亿美元。该地区的监管机构认识到需要减少对地下水的依赖，并实施了促进上述替代方案的计划。虽然节水是最可持续的选择，但与政策和投资相关的障碍降低了这种方法的有效性。