A Decision-Making Framework for Stream Restoration from Acid Mine Drainage

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Acid mine drainage is a common feature of the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States and in many other regions of the world. Acid mine drainage has been referred to as the greatest water quality problem facing the Western United States. The fact that so many mines are abandoned makes acid mine drainage a truly public problem. This research provides a decision making framework to help determine where to begin restoration activities. The heart of the framework is the measurement of the public's preferences for cleaning up acid mine drainage at the watershed level. The framework employs scientific information and economics to develop and evaluate acid mine drainage restoration alternatives within the watershed. The framework provides an avenue for measuring preferences for both quantifiable and non-quantifiable ecological information. Though the research uses a case study approach, the design is easily transferable to other watersheds thanks to the use of technology. The heart of the problem, and the decision making framework, is choice between alternative restoration plans. Restoration plans differ by the area of the watershed targeted for restoration and the level of restoration. When researchers use innovative and thoughtful communication protocols of the consequences of alternative restoration plans, citizens are able to make meaningful choices between restoration alternatives. Individual choices regarding the most preferred restoration alternatives are used to estimate the public's preferences over restoration alternatives. The main benefit of using this flexible framework is that although the model is based on economic principles, the information provided facilitates a broader range of perspectives. The framework allows analysis of restoration according to majority/plurality rule decisions, economic efficiency, and distributional considerations. To demonstrate the framework, the research provides a case study of Colorado's Snake River Watershed which is located in Summit County, Colorado. The case study is developed in close cooperation with the Snake River Basin Task Force, the group charged with making recommendations for addressing the problem of acid mine drainage in the Basin. Ecological data collected through a separate U.S. EPA-funded research project is used to determine baseline conditions. A random sample of Summit County residents are used as subjects in the choice experiment. The choice experiment is administered using two different administration modes by split-sample design. One group has the option of participating in the choice experiment over the Internet from home, over the Internet from a workstation provided by the project at the Keystone Community Center, or by mail. A second group participates in a mail-only format. This split-sample design facilitates investigation of the effectiveness of sampling for experiments that offer Internet access as well as mail participation relative to mail-only participation. The information from the choice experiments and the split-sampling design provides the basis for conducting future similar research in the Snake River Basin as well as other watersheds affected by acid mine drainage.