Economic Valuation of Water Quality in the Muskoka Region

Title

Economic Valuation of Water Quality in the Muskoka Region

Author

Evan MacDonald, Nicholas Lymer, Tim Bourne and Alexis Godlington

Host Organization

Muskoka Water Shed Council, Judi Brouse

Supervising Faculty

Tom Whillans, Environmental and Resource Science/Studies

Reference Number

TP-650

Date

2012

Location of Document

Online

Area

Muskoka

Subject

The influences of water quality on the value of waterfront properties.

Abstract

This research project aimed to investigate the influences of water quality on the value of waterfront properties. To do so many different aspects and their associated variables were examined in an attempt to find a correlation between these factors and waterfront values. This project reduced the area being investigated into three watersheds containing different levels of water quality as described by The Muskoka Watershed Report Card 2010. For each of the 3 watersheds lakes were picked that represented varying levels of water quality data. The six lakes this study examined were: Mainhood Lake, Three Mile Lake, Lake Joseph, Ada Lake, Little Long Lake, and Skeleton Lake. To see if there is a correlation between waterfront property values with water quality, a multifaceted approach was incorporated. The specific areas investigated were: water clarity, drinking water quality, fishing preferences, and what factors drive property values.

Files

Reference

Evan MacDonald, Nicholas Lymer, Tim Bourne and Alexis Godlington, Economic Valuation of Water Quality in the Muskoka Region, 2012