Browsing by Author "Griffin, Ronald C."
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Item Community Water Demand in Texas(Texas Water Resources Institute, 1989-04) Chang, Chan; Griffin, Ronald C.Solutions to Texas water policy and planning problems will be easier to identify once the impact of price upon community water demand is better understood. Several important questions cannot be addressed in the absence of such information. This study combines monthly water use reports, Census information, weather data, and water rates for more than two hundred Texas communities. The study period is the five years for which data is most recently available, 1981-85. Descriptive and statistical results concerning community water demand are generated with this data. Notable findings are (1) a new climate variable is developed which has good performance in demand functions; (2) Texas consumers respond to water price with the average price specification being preferred over the marginal price alternative; (3) price elasticities vary during the year with the highest price sensitivity occurring in summer months; and (4) sewage rates which depend upon water consumption represent a statistically significant component of water price. The quantitative results of this study enable many potential applications for solving state and local problems.Item The Edwards Aquifer: An Economic Perspective(Texas Water Resources Institute, 1993-03) Merrifield, John D.; McCarl, Bruce A.; Griffin, Ronald C.; Emerson, Peter M.; Collinge, Robert A.Business as usual has ceased to be an acceptable system for the Edwards because of the burden it imposes upon regional competitiveness and welfare. Nonrevisionist strategies such as surface water development and spring flow augmentation address symptoms of the problem without curing the cause. Available evidence regarding water development also indicates that these strategies are not cost-effective. Needed are new policy constructs in tune with heightened water scarcity and the variety of demands now served by the Edwards Aquifer. A system of transferable groundwater rights is commendable for several reasons. It is flexible because it accomodates unforeseeable future shifts in demand. Transferable rights allow voluntary action on behalf of water users as opposed to requiring compliance with offensive regulations. The marketing of water complements regional competitiveness because water is not bound to inefficient uses, and overly expensive methods of water supply enhancement are avoided.