Potential Economic Impacts of Environmental Flows Following a Possible Listing of Endangered Texas Freshwater Mussels

• Published in: Journal of the American Water Resources Association Vol. 50; no. 5; pp. 1081 - 1101
• Main Authors: Wolaver, Brad D., Cook, Cassandra E., Sunding, David L., Hamilton, Stephen F., Scanlon, Bridget R., Young, Michael H., Xu, Xianli, Reedy, Robert C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Middleburg, VA Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2014; American Water Resources Association
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Basins; Biological and medical sciences; Drought; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Economic impact; endangered and threatened species/Endangered Species Act/ESA; Exact sciences and technology; Fresh water ecosystems; freshwater mussels; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hydrology; Hydrology. Hydrogeology; industrial/power/municipal/irrigation demand; instream flow/environmental flow; Mollusks; Surface water; surface water hydrology; Synecology; Water resources; water scarcity economics; Water supply; United States; Texas; impact statements; endangered and threatened species/Endangered Species Act/ESA; habitat; ground water; industrial/ power/municipal/irrigation demand; recovery; freshwater mussels; North America; agriculture; irrigation; water resources; water storage; aquifers; surface water hydrology; Bivalvia; rivers; models; instream flow/environmental flow; fresh-water environment; water scarcity economics; water supply; surface water; power plants; markets; drought; ecosystems; water resource management; Invertebrata; Mollusca; strategy; communities
• ISSN: 1093-474X; 1752-1688
• DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12171

Texas water resources, already taxed by drought and population growth, could be further stressed by possible listings of endangered aquatic species. This study estimated potential economic impacts of environmental flows (EFs) for five freshwater unionid mussels in three Central Texas basins (Brazos, Colorado, and Guadalupe‐San Antonio Rivers) that encompass 36% of Texas (~246,000 km2). A water availability model projected reductions in water supply to power, commercial and industrial, municipal, and agriculture sectors in response to possible EFs for mussels. Single‐year economic impacts were calculated using publicly available data with and without water transfers. Benefits of EFs should also be assessed, should critical habitat be proposed. Potential economic losses were highest during droughts, but were nominal (<$1 M) in wetter years — even with high EFs. Reduced supplies to San Antonio area power plants caused worst‐case impacts of a single‐year shutdown up to $107 million (M) during drought with high EFs. For other sectors in the study area, water transfers reduced worst‐case losses from $80 to $11 M per year. Implementing innovative water management strategies such as water markets, conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater, aquifer storage and recovery could mitigate economic impacts if mussels — or other widely distributed aquatic species — were listed. However, approaches for defining EFs and strategies for mitigating economic impacts of EFs are needed.