Impact of Water Degradation on Regional Agricultural Economy

Abstract

The problem of increasing ground water salinity in areas irrigated by ground water has been studied; however, few if any measures have been implemented to control the salinity build‐up. One reason for this inaction may be that decision makers and the public do not have a clear idea of the potential benefit from controlling ground water degradation. Consequently, this study sought to calculate the economic benefits. Mathematical programming was used to determine the economic incentives for controlling the salinity problem using several regions in the San Joaquin Valley in California. The results showed that using benefit‐cost procedures, there was little or no economic incentive to control ground water degradation.