On July 1, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) will release Advances in Water Quality Trading as a Flexible Compliance Tool. This new book explores the status of water quality trading and recent changes in the sector. It is a guide for implementing and using water quality trading for regulatory compliance purposes.
Water quality trading is a flexible and efficient approach that enables one entity to meet its Clean Water Act obligations by using pollutant reductions created by another. Water quality trading can encourage participation by nonregulated entities or private landowners. For instance, trading sometimes occurs between regulated and nonregulated entities, such as between municipalities and agricultural entities. Additionally, cost efficiencies occur when some traders can achieve pollutant reductions at a much lower cost. For instance, in ultra-urban settings, stormwater controls can be more difficult to site and more expensive to build. A permittee may look to purchase credits generated by less expensive stormwater controls constructed in suburban or rural settings.
The book covers a variety of trading frameworks, discusses in-depth case studies, and includes topics such as current legal and regulatory challenges. This book also offers a look at where and how investments in water quality are being optimized through trading, and it includes a chapter on the future of water quality trading that features stormwater frameworks and integrated planning.
WEF will host a webcast on water quality trading, highlighting information from the book, on July 8 from 1:00 to 3:00 Eastern.
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