ABSTRACT
The imminent expansion of coal and metal mining and the possibility of severe irreversible effects on water quality were also important considerations in the selection of heavy metal content as an index of water quality. The largest single benefit associated with water quality improvement was to enhance current water-based recreation activities. Preservation benefits of water quality were defined to include both the value placed on the existence of a natural ecosystem and the value of its bequest to future generations. Households in the river basin indicated a greater willingness to pay for improved water quality when the method of hypothetical payment was an increase in sales taxes rather than an increase in water service fees. Income was positively related to willingness to pay for improved water quality. Education level may be associated with more concern about the future of water quality than with current recreation use.
