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Does complex hydrology require complex water quality policy?

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  • Anastasiadis, Simon
  • Kerr, Suzi
  • Nauleau, Marie-Laure
  • Cox, Tim
  • Rutherford, Kit

Abstract

Nonpoint-source water pollution is frequently considered intractable because it is hard to regulate large numbers of small sources and because the science associated with assessing the impact of each source is complex. New Zealand has demonstrated that it is possible to implement a simple cap-and-trade system to help reduce nitrogen leaching from many small farms and thereby protect water quality. This paper relates to the second challenge: are complex regulatory systems worthwhile when nitrogen delivery is complex? When nitrogen moves through groundwater to a lake, leaching from different farms reaches the lake at different times and the damage caused is temporally differentiated. Policy that regulates farmers according to the timing of their nitrogen delivery will be more complex than policy that does not. Whether the gain in efficiency justifies this additional complexity can be assessed through modelling. We use an integrated model to estimate the gains from complex nitrogen regulation that incorporates groundwater delivery times relative to simple nitrogen regulation that does not. We find that the gains from more complex regulation are small in the catchment we study and cannot justify the additional complexity required. A sensitivity analysis enables us to identify the types of catchments where complex regulation may be worthwhile.

Suggested Citation

  • Anastasiadis, Simon & Kerr, Suzi & Nauleau, Marie-Laure & Cox, Tim & Rutherford, Kit, 2014. "Does complex hydrology require complex water quality policy?," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 58(1), January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aareaj:260072
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.260072
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    Cited by:

    1. Aaron M. Cook & James S. Shortle, 2022. "Pollutant Trading with Transport Time Lags," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(2), pages 355-382, June.
    2. Graeme J. Doole & Geoff Kaine & Zack Dorner, 2019. "The optimal diffusion of mitigation options for environmental management," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 63(2), pages 354-382, April.
    3. Adam Daigneault & Suzie Greenhalgh & Oshadhi Samarasinghe, 2018. "Economic Impacts of Multiple Agro-Environmental Policies on New Zealand Land Use," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 69(4), pages 763-785, April.
    4. Daigneault, Adam & Greenhalgh, Suzie & Samarasinghe, Oshadhi, 2014. "A response to Doole and Marsh (2013) article: methodological limitations in the evaluation of policies to reduce nitrate leaching from New Zealand agriculture," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 58(2), April.
    5. Spicer, E. Anne & Swaffield, Simon & Moore, Kevin, 2021. "Agricultural land use management responses to a cap and trade regime for water quality in Lake Taupo catchment, New Zealand," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    6. Fraser J Morgan & Adam J Daigneault, 2015. "Estimating Impacts of Climate Change Policy on Land Use: An Agent-Based Modelling Approach," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-20, May.
    7. Daigneault, Adam & Greenhalgh, Suzie & Samarasinghe, Oshadhi, 2017. "Equitably slicing the pie: Water policy and allocation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 449-459.
    8. James Shortle & Richard D. Horan, 2017. "Nutrient Pollution: A Wicked Challenge for Economic Instruments," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(02), pages 1-39, April.

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