Source: NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV submitted to
MANAGEMENT AND POLICY CHALLENGES IN A WATER-SCARCE WORLD
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1005280
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
ND01315
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
W-3190
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Nov 1, 2014
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2019
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
Hearne, R.
Recipient Organization
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
(N/A)
FARGO,ND 58105
Performing Department
Agribusiness and Applied Economics
Non Technical Summary
The objective of this research is to evaluate and compare alternative water management strategies and institutions. The efforts in the initial two-year period of this project will focus on: i) an assessment of how rules and agencies that manage the Missouri River have evolved with time if that evolution has met the needs of water users; and ii) an assessment of alternative strategies to cope with community water needs in the Bakken area of western North Dakota. The evolution of water management institutions in the Missouri River basin will be evaluated by assessing if they are changing with the evolving needs of the basins' water users. Strategies for addressing the rapid growth of water use in the oil producing region will be identified by meeting with local stakeholders. They will be compared by estimating the economic value of water in alternative uses.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
60502103010100%
Knowledge Area
605 - Natural Resource and Environmental Economics;

Subject Of Investigation
0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
3010 - Economics;
Goals / Objectives
Evaluate and compare alternative water management strategies and institutions.
Project Methods
The assessment of the institutional evolution of Missouri river management is a desk study uses legal, historical and scientific literature. This analysis will be evaluated by the scientific community through peer review of a multidisciplinary water journal. Methods used to assess strategies for water supply in the Bakken include interviews with local leaders to identify alternatives, collection of data on water permits, and an estimation of the value of water in alternative uses through benefits transfer.

Progress 11/01/14 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for thsi research is water management professionals, including researchers, decision-makers, andmanagers. Changes/Problems:Data of rail rates are available only ofr agricultural products. this limited the capacity to estimate the value of Missouir River water in naviagation. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Four graduate students were trained in analysis of water resources. Felix Fernando and Danile Margarit received PhDs in Natural Resources Management. Mohammed Alshareef received a Phd in Transportation and Logistics and Heshani Manaweera Wickramage received an MS in Agribusiness and Applied Economics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?There have been journal articles and book chapters published. and presentation at professional conferences. A webinar was presnted and publihsed (https://www.canr.msu.edu/ncrcrd/uploads/files/Use%20BakkenWater%202016.pdf). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? An improved understanding of management strategies for municipal water systems in the Bakken region was achieved. The immediate need to support the oil industry with water was hindered by the limits on permitting water directly from Lake Sakakawea. But regional water supply systems were able to finance expansions in treatment capacity and networks by selling water to the oil industry. An improved understanding of the value of water in the Missouri River navigation channel for barge transport was found to be negligible. Barge transport was found not to be less costly than rail. An improved understanding of fracking wastewater treatment and transportation costs was achieved. A least cost transportation model was used to estimate the incentives for developing fracking wastewater recycling technology. If mobile treatment costs were at or below $210 per truckload, all truckloads in the model could be recycled. As the cost of on-site mobile treatment increases above $220 per truckload, the amount of fracking wastewater that can be recycled in a cost-effective manner declines substantially. An improved understanding of the rules that would support a Missouri River Compact was achieved. The use of a bankruptcy model, a subset of cooperative game theory, was investigated with a case study for the Missouri River. A modified constrained Equal Reward rule was proposed and found to be acceptable for a two-player scenario. With upstream states (above the Gavin's Point Dam) being one player and downstream states below the reservoir system, being the second player. An improved understanding of Missouri River management and the evolution of the institutions which govern the Missouri River was achieved. The US Army Corps of Engineers remains the de-facto water master of the mainstem river. Traditional Army Corps objectives such as flood control and navigation remain a priority. But the Army Corps has evolved to include ecosystem management within its areas of expertise. A system of incorporating states into the Missouri River management remains elusive.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hearne, R. and F. Fernando. 2016. Strategies for Community and Industry Water Management in the Oil Producing Region of North Dakota Water 2016, 8, 331; doi:10.3390/w8080331
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Hearne, R. S. Shakya, and Q. Yin. 2015. The value of fracking wastewater treatment and recycling technologies in North Dakota. Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination 5(2):211-222.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hearne, R. and T. Prato. 2016. Institutional Evolution of Missouri River Management. Water Policy. 18 (3) 619-634
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Choi, J., R.R. Hearne, K. Lee, and D.C. Roberts. 2015. The Relation between Water Pollution and Economic Growth Using the Environmental Kuznets Curve: A Case Study in South Korea. Water International 40(3):499-512.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hearne, R. 2018. Water Markets. In Water Policy in Chile. G. Donoso Ed. Springer.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Alshareef, M, and R. Hearne, 2018. "The Value of Missouri River Water in its Navigation Channel and Freight Costs." Paper presented at the 2018 Transportation Research Forum. Minneapolis, April 2018. Available at https://editorialexpress.com/conference/TRF18/program/TRF18.html#25
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Community Strategies for Water Supply in the Bakken Region (with Felix Fernando) Presented at the Facing New Conditions and Challenges: The Agricultural Development in USA and China, Conference South China Agricultural University Guangzhou, China July 8-10, 2016.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Effects of inundation and flood risk on the value of agricultural lands in the Devils Lake Basin of North Dakota (with Daniel Margarit and David Roberts). Presented at the W3133 Annual Meeting, Portland. February 24, 2016.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Community Strategies for Water Supply in the Bakken Region. (with Felix Fernando). Presented in a webinar sponsored by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. January 21 2016.


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Researchers, water managers, and policy makers at state, local, national, and global level are the target audience. Changes/Problems:We have been asked to reestimate the results of the Missouri River navigation study. New data on rail rates and agricultural export ports is being collected. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Mohammed Alshareef a PhD student in Transportation and Logistics was trained to assess freight navigation on the Missouri River. Heshani Manaweera Wickramage is currently using game theory to model potential Missouri River compacts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A paper was presented at the April 2018 Transportation Research Forum. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Missouri River Navigation study will be completed and submitted to a journal for publication. This will be one scientific research paper in the candidate's PhD thesis. The game theory paper will be completed and the thesis completed and defended.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Two complementary research projects were advanced during the reporting period. Estimation of the value of Missouri River water in maintaining the navigation channel was advanced. The impact of reduced navigation days on agricultural tonnage using the channel was estimated. Due to frquent observations of zero freight use on the upper streches of the Missouri River channel, most economteric models showed little significnace. Although there was some slight impact on the tonnage, the alternative transportation mode, via rail, was not more expensive than barge freight transportation. Thus, estimates show no value for agricultural freight transport in maintaining the navigation channel. A paper was presented at the April 2018 Transportation Research Forum. Another study which uses cooperative game theory and the bankruptcy model to understand the constraints to a Missouri River interstate compact was advanced. The literature review including many studies using the bankruptcy model for water allocation and additional studies on Missouri River management institutions was written in draft form. A preliminary model which would use the bankruptcy model to judge the impacts of 1) proportional loss and 2) constrained equal award institutional rules on upstream and downstream allocation.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hearne, R. 2018. Water Markets. In Water Policy in Chile. G. Donoso Ed. Springer.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Alshareef, M, and R. Hearne, 2018. "The Value of Missouri River Water in its Navigation Channel and Freight Costs." Paper presented at the 2018 Transportation Research Forum. Minneapolis, April 2018. Available at https://editorialexpress.com/conference/TRF18/program/TRF18.html#25


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:THe target audience includes water managers, policy makers, and researchers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Mohammed Alshareef a PhD student in transportation and logistics is estimating the value of Missouri River water in freight transportation. Kels Westra an MS student in Agribusiness and Applied Economics is assessing the efficiency of water use in Missouri Basin counties. Heshani Manaweera Wickramage is being trained in game theoretic analysis of river basin water allocation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A Janury 2017 Spotlight on Economics article featured the need to develop water storage capacity ion the Upper Great Plains What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In early 2018 the Missouri River navigation study will be completed. Two presentations have already been accepted at professional conferences. A journal article will be developed by October 2018. In early 2018 the estimation of water efficiency will be completed and a journal article will be developed in 2018. An analysis of the use of cooperative game theory in water allocation for the Missouri River will be developed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Analysis of the use of Missouri River water in navigation was conducted. Relationship between navigation days and commodity freight transported was estimated. Model developed to estimate the efficiency of and value of Missouri Basin water in agriculture using county level USGS and Census of agriculture data. Dataset developed for efficiency analysis.

Publications


    Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience for thsi research is water management professionals, including researchers, decision-makers, and managers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Felix Fernando, a recent PhD in Natural Resources Management at NDSU, was intorduced to the analysis of water maangement. Together with Felix Fernando a webinar was presented and disseminated through the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Awebinar was presented and disseminated through the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. A journal article was submitted to and published by the journal Water. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Research will assess the use of Missouri River water for barge transport. Research will assess the efficiencly of water use in the Missouri River Basin.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Strategies to meet community water needs in western North Dakota were reviewed and assessed.

    Publications

    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hearne, R. and F. Fernando. 2016. Strategies for Community and Industry Water Management in the Oil Producing Region of North Dakota Water 2016, 8, 331; doi:10.3390/w8080331 Hearne, R. and T. Prato. 2016. Institutional Evolution of Missouri River Management. Water Policy. 18 (3) 619-634.


    Progress 11/01/14 to 09/30/15

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience includes researchers, policy and decision makers and water reource professionals. Changes/Problems:An NSF proposal "Managing Water Resources for Food and Energy Production in the Missouri River Basin" was not funded. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Felix Fernando, a PhD student in Natural Resources Management was trained to analyze community water strategies. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal articles have been published and manuscripts for submission are being developed. A webinar to present the results of the community water management strategies is scheduled for January 2016. A "Spotlight on Economics" article entitled "Addressing Western N.D. Water Needs With Water Markets" was presented on the NDSU Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics webpage. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I will present a webinar and develop further manuscripts fpr publication on 2016. I expect to follow my work on Missouri River management with an assessment of Native American tribal reserve water rights.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? 1. The evolution of Missouri River management institutions was assessed. Institutions such as the US Army Corps of Engineers and water quality institutions have evolved. Adaptive management has implied a new set of determinants for dam operation and new skills for managers. Thecourts have maintained the role of the Army Corps and not reversed traditional priorities. New challenges, including recharging aquifers and resolving Native American tribal reserved water claims remain. A Journal article will be published in 2016. 2. Strategies for North Dakota communities to meet their water needs in the face of expanding households and industrial demand were analyzed. The use if the resources trust fund and the sales of water to the oil industry has been beneficial to the water systems' expansion efforts. Given the availability of Missouri River water and the low value of use of this water in downstream navigation, there is little need to consider efforts to reallocate irrigation water in the medium or long term. A report was prepared, a webinar, and manuscript for submission to a journal is forthcoming.

    Publications

    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Hearne, R. S. Shakya, and Q. Yin. 2015. The value of fracking wastewater treatment and recycling technologies in North Dakota. Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination 5(2):211-222.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Choi, J., R.R. Hearne, K. Lee, and D.C. Roberts. 2015. The Relation between Water Pollution and Economic Growth Using the Environmental Kuznets Curve: A Case Study in South Korea. Water International 40(3):499-512.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hearne, R. and T. Prato. 2015. Institutional Evolution of Missouri River Management. Water Policy. Uncorrected Proof. Available online 29 October 2015, DOI: 10.2166/wp.2015.224