Public Support and Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Water Reuse: The Case of Municipal Water Reuse Systems in Oklahoma

This study investigates public support and household willingness to pay (WTP) for municipal water reuse systems in Oklahoma, where water scarcity and a state mandate to limit freshwater use have prompted interest in alternative supply strategies. Using data from the Oklahoma Meso-Scale Integrated Sociogeographic Network and a representative household survey, we estimate WTP using a contingent valuation referendum design. While 74 percent of respondents initially expressed support for a reuse system when the cost was not mentioned, only 48 percent accepted a randomized monthly increase in their water bill. The average WTP was $10 per household per month, with substantial variation across ideological and perceptual groups. Respondents who self-identified as “strong liberals” showed the highest WTP ($16.22), while “conservatives” reported significantly lower values. Trust in water scientists and favorable emotional responses toward water reuse, i.e., a reduced “yuck factor,” were among the strongest predictors of both support and financial commitment. We conducted a cost-benefit analysis over a range of WTP to determine the number of households needed to finance a hypothetical $9 million water reuse system. Under average WTP, 13,893 households would suffice, which falls well below the size of the example community. However, conservative assumptions based on minimum WTP estimates raised this figure to 25,235 households, exceeding the local tax base. The results highlight the significance of psychological and ideological factors in formulating water infrastructure policy and public finance decisions.