Water Quality (filtration)

SEEA EA

Name Used: Water purification services (water quality regulation)

Service Category: Regulating and maintenance services

Definition: Retention and breakdown of nutrients and Retention and breakdown of other pollutants - Water purification services are the ecosystem contributions to the restoration and maintenance of the chemical condition of surface water and groundwater bodies through the breakdown or removal of nutrients and other pollutants by ecosystem components that mitigate the harmful effects of the pollutants on human use or health. This may be recorded as a final or intermediate ecosystem service.

See Valuation Methods Appendix for Economic Value, Valuation Methods, and Metrics.

Name Used: Solid waste remediation services

Service Category: Regulating and maintenance services

Definition: Solid waste remediation services are the ecosystem contributions to the transformation of organic or inorganic substances, through the action of micro-organisms, algae, plants and animals that mitigates their harmful effects. This is may be recorded as a final or intermediate service.

See Valuation Methods Appendix for Economic Value, Valuation Methods, and Metrics.

CICES

Name Used: Mediation Of Wastes or Toxic Substances of Anthropogenic Origin by Living Processes

Service Category: Regulation and Maintenance

Definition: Mediation of Wastes or Toxic Substances of Anthropogenic Origin by Living Processes encompasses the biological mechanisms that neutralize or manage human-generated waste and toxins. This includes bio-remediation, where micro-organisms, algae, plants, and animals are involved in breaking down waste, measured by the type of living system or waste involved; as well as filtration, sequestration, storage, and accumulation processes that effectively isolate or transform waste and toxins, quantified by the type of living system or the type of water or substance involved. These natural mechanisms serve as an ecological buffer against environmental degradation caused by human activities.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

Name Used: Water Conditions

Service Category: Regulation and Maintenance

Definition: Water Conditions refers to the natural regulation of chemical conditions in both freshwater and saltwater environments by living processes. This includes the regulation of the chemical condition of freshwaters, quantified by the type of living system involved, such as specific plant or animal communities. Similarly, it covers the regulation of chemical conditions in salt waters, also measured by the type of living system active in those environments. These living systems play a crucial role in maintaining the chemical balance of water bodies, thereby contributing to overall aquatic health and ecosystem stability.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

ESVD 2020

Name Used: Waste treatment

Service Category: Regulating

Definition: Waste treatment as categorized by TEEB in ESVD include water purification, Soil detoxification, Abatement of noise, Waste treatment (unspecified).

Economic Value Calculated: Yes

Valuation Methods: The ESVD 2020 report offers a total of 4,042 value estimates, with 74 specific to waste treatment. See the Valuation Methods Appendix.

Metrics: $/ha/yr; ESVD is working on other qualitative and quantitative metrics.

FEMA ESV 2022

Name Used: Water Filtration

Service Category: Regulating

Definition: Removing water pollutants via soil filtration and transformation by vegetation and microbial communities

Economic Value Calculated: Yes

Valuation Methods: Meta-Analysis, Replacement Cost, Avoided Cost

Metrics:

Forest: Taye et al.'s 2021 meta-analysis assessed the economic value of forest ecosystem services using a dataset of 261 studies, covering 624 individual values. Reported in 2017 USD per hectare per year, these values were converted to 2021 USD per acre per year for our analysis. We focused on the global mean value for "bioremediation" and "dilution, filtration, and sequestration" as outlined in Table 3 of the study, representing key contributions of forests to clean water

Coastal and Inland Wetlands: function transfer method to tailor meta-analysis findings on wetlands' economic value to a U.S. context. Models from four key studies—Adusumilli (2015), Brander et al. (2006), Ghermandi et al. (2010), and Woodward & Wui (2001)—were adapted for this purpose. We selected Model C, featuring an R^2 of 0.582, as the foundation for our function transfer. Several variables were adjusted: those highlighting coastal wetlands and water quality were set to 1, average annual household income and U.S. GDP per capita were integrated where required, and 'publish' was set to 1 for Woodward & Wui’s model to indicate reliance on published data. Finally, all monetary figures were converted to 2021 USD per acre per year.

Riparian: Everard & Jevons (2010) examined the financial ramifications of water contamination from agriculture, particularly dairy farming, emphasizing the costs incurred by downstream communities to secure clean water. Zhongwei (2006) looked at how riparian buffers of different sizes (60 m, 90 m, 120 m) contribute to the filtration of nitrogen and phosphorus from upstream agricultural activities. The research used hydrological computer models like BASINS and HSPF along with GIS mapping for in-depth analysis. The findings from both studies offer valuable insights into water purification and associated costs.

Shellfish Reefs: Studies on U.S. shellfish beds reveal their significant role in water filtration by consuming nitrogen and phosphorus-rich plankton and detritus, thereby aiding nutrient cycling in coastal habitats. These studies employed replacement cost methods to value the filtration services provided by shellfish beds, comparing the cost of similar services if provided by wastewater treatment plants. The findings were initially reported as total benefits for each study site and were later converted to per-acre values by dividing the overall benefits by the area covered by shellfish within the site.

IPBES NCP

Name Used: Regulation of freshwater and coastal water quality

Service Category: Regulating NCP (Regulation Of Environmental Processes)

Definition: Regulation, by ecosystems, of the chemical composition of freshwater, groundwater and coastal waters, including through filtration, dilution, storage, accumulation, degradation or transformation of organic and inorganic matter, sediments and biogenic elements (N, P, Si, etc.). It impacts the suitability of water for human consumption, agriculture, fishery, and other uses, and affects the viability of freshwater and coastal ecosystems.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: Retention and transformation of nutrients and pollutants by ecosystems

Name Used: Regulation of ocean acidification

Service Category: Regulating NCP (Regulation Of Environmental Processes)

Definition: Regulation, by photosynthetic organisms, of atmospheric CO2 concentrations and so seawater pH, which affects associated calcification processes by many marine organisms important to humans.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: Capacity to sequester carbon by marine and terrestrial environments

Name Used: Formation, protection and decontamination of soils and sediments

Service Category: Regulating NCP (Regulation Of Environmental Processes)

Definition: Formation, protection against erosion or salinization, stabilization, structure improvement and decontamination, by ecosystems, of soils and sediments. These actions determine their suitability for human infrastructure and for plant growth, affecting both cultivated and non-cultivated plants of importance to humans.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: Soil erosion rate, Soil organic carbon stocks