IS WATER DIFFERENT
Abstract
Water is not different from other resources in most of the ways it is often discussed. It has no unique, magical properties by itself to create wealth, nor to cause the development of a region. Water is different in that features of its supply, custom, and the development of water law have placed it largely in the public domain. Consequently, the development of new supplies and its distribution is often the responsibility of government agencies. For this reason, special problems arise in the division of the available supply among user categories and between regions. Decisions in these matters are often made in the political arena instead of in the market place as with most other resources. Even so, it is important that the citizen-taxpayer become informed of the economic aspects of water supply. Otherwise, water development decisions by government agencies may result in the wasteful investment of our other resources to produce more water. Large dams and lengthy aqueducts for transferring water between regions are not the only alternative sources of increased water for our region. In fact, they may often be the most costly.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 25, 1960
- Accession Number
- AD0606906
Entities
People
- J. C. Dehaven
Organizations
- RAND Corporation