Breaking down barriers: Action plan to advance water quality training

A preliminary analysis revealed that the potential demand for water quality trading could be robust and widespread across the US. The analysis involved a modeling exercise that explored how watershed characteristics, economic factors, and policy and regulatory drivers play into the geography of potential demand for water quality trading across the US.

To identify and understand the factors that have stalled the development of water quality trading markets in the US, the National Network conducted an extensive literature review on trading and other environmental markets and interviews with utility decision makers and their counterparts at regulatory agencies across the US. This article provides a...

Some of the seemingly smallest pieces of trading program design, such as developing a timeframe for credit expiration, can significantly impact whether utilities participate. And some of the biggest pieces, such as estimating water quality benefits from nonpoint source controls, are thorny technical undertakings, sometimes demanding major staffing and financial resources. This complexity is...

Often when the administration changes, permittees and state agencies express concern over whether the current administration will support trading. This trend was particularly apparent after the 2016 presidential election. In response, US EPA should reaffirm its support for trading at the start of each new administration. It’s quick and easy to provide assurance that the agency stands behind...

Risk aversion is often cited as a key reason that utility demand for nonpoint source credits remains low. Though trading has risks, they are not so different from the risks associated with engineered gray infrastructure – pipes, pumps, and filters might underperform or fail; regulatory drivers might change; or contracted services may not meet expectations. One possible explanation for this...

Municipalities across the US are experimenting with stormwater trading, even in the absence of national guidance on program design. There is clearly a range of ways to approach trading for stormwater, but there is a gap around expectations or even considerations for stormwater trading programs and how they differ from wastewater. Many existing stormwater trading programs, for example, focus on...

Trading programs involve a unique suite of stakeholders coming together on a path that has been long used but lightly treaded. Strong relationships and communication are a huge asset, if not a precondition, for successful trading program development. Trust and good working relationships don’t just happen as a byproduct of trying to build a trading program – these things require an...

Right now, there is a groundswell of pilot projects that don’t fit a strict definition of water quality trading, yet they aspire to many of the same goals and apply many of the same strategies. Much like water quality trading, these projects transfer resources between those that need to invest in clean water – such as utilities, municipalities, and hydropower operators – with...