Brandywine-Christina Healthy Water Fund Preliminary Feasibility Study Executive Summary
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2015-04
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Abstract
This document assesses on a preliminary basis the feasibility of establishing the Brandywine-Christina Healthy Water Fund. The Water Fund is a mechanism for engaging direct beneficiaries of freshwater and other stakeholders in making investments within the watershed to improve water quality on a least-cost basis, enhance environmental and social values, and achieve quantifiable economic benefits. This effort seeks to leverage The Nature Conservancy’s global experience in developing and stewarding water funds with the quantitative expertise of the University of Delaware’s Water Resources Agency in addressing water quality issues in the Brandywine-Christina watershed. To be successful, the Water Fund must creatively engage water withdrawers, stormwater managers, and agricultural stakeholders in the efficient deployment of pooled capital to achieve positive water treatment outcomes, risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, and preservation of farming as a long-term viable activity for the region.
This study consolidates research and analysis completed to date and finds sufficient preliminary evidence to conclude that a water fund offers a financially and politically viable approach to water quality (and perhaps quantity) improvement in the Brandywine-Christina watershed. This conclusion is based on the following factors (among others): (1) an opportunity exists to expand on and increase the efficiency of current conservation initiatives in the watershed, (2) regulators appear open to exploring more flexible regulatory approaches to achieving water quality (and possibly quantity) goals, and (3) water purveyors, stormwater managers, and potential public and private funders have expressed interest in exploring more cost-effective water quality (and possibly quantity) strategies, including nature-based solutions. This is a challenging and complex endeavor, but one that holds the promise of revolutionizing the way freshwater resources are managed to secure long-term benefits for people and nature.