Eliciting public preferences for municipal water supply options

This article presents a multivariate stated preference model, the discrete choice experiment (DCE), as a formal method of assessing the trade-off behaviour of the municipal residents of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada for their preferences for the source of municipal water supply. The respondents were asked to choose repeatedly from a set of choice cards, which displayed different configurations of water rates, water pressure, and water taste for three alternative sources of water supply—Bare Point, Loch Lomond (affected by a 1997 Boil Water Advisory, BWA), and a dual source. The survey results indicated that, despite the suggestion of a lower water rate, such as 2.5% over 10 years vs. 5% over 10 years, respondentsʹ preferences for Loch Lomond were significant, if pressure and taste were improved, irrespective of the water rates. This finding documents the potential for discrepancy between the preferences of the public at large and the expert-driven consultation process, which recommended the Bare Point option. Therefore, the article suggests the use of a multivariate research method, such as the DCE, to assess trade-offs of alternative policies in the environmental assessment (EA) process in a more objective and representative manner than the current practice.