ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the value of water for water-based recreation, which includes swimming and boating in rivers and lakes, recreational fishing and hunting, and other activities such as picnicking or birdwatching alongside streams. These activities are heterogeneous, although they are related in that they all represent end-uses of water that have value derived from the provision of utility to the consumer. In addition to the value of water for recreational pursuit is the value of water in streams and lakes which exists independently of use. These nonuser or preservation values represent the value of the natural resource left in a pristine state.
