We're 60% water. After air, water is next on our list of ingredients that we'll die without. It demands our highest priority!
Given water's importance how do we make good waterresoucing and usage decisions?
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Since the 1970s, Cost-Benefit Analysis has been the defacto basis for governing body descisions in the U.S. As it considers all the factors, using this ensures that all people, all sectors of the community, its businesses (employment) and the environment are brought into consideration. This method also brings about realism, forcing valuation of all costs and benefits, as most often, there is no one perfect solution.
Assigning Values
This is a difficult piece...whereas capital and operating expenses are data-driven, placing values on community and environmental impacts vary by community and the setting. Human interaction is important in this work, as is valuing people/groups equally.
Summing it Up
Stacking up all the costs and the benefits, and then dividing costs/benefits, gives us the cost-benefit ratio for our comparison. This will never be perfect, never satisfy all, but its value is in moving from feelings/biases into a process for decision-making.
"I can't drink money"
young girl speaking out on water resourcing to Corpus Christi Council