9391

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9391
• Author: Watts, G., W. R. Noonan, H. R. Maddux and D. S. Brookshire.
• Title: The Endangered Species Act and Critical Habitat Designation
• USFW Year: 1997.
• USFW - Doc Type: An Integrated Biological and Economic Approach.
• Copyright Material: NO

the region. The sub-regional impacts are detennined for two counties: Clark County, Nevada
and Washington County, Utah. The impacts in Clark County include those to the small section
of Mohave County, Arizona, that is included in the study region. As no direct impacts accrue to
Iron County, Utah, no separate county-level impacts are calculated. Under the construction
scenario, the net present value (NPV) of output losses in Clark County is -$10.6 million, a
deviation of -0.0000 1 percent from the baseline. For Washington county, impacts under the
construction scenario are slightly larger, but still small. The NPV of lost output is -$47.5
million, a reduction in economic activity by -0.0016 percent from the baseline.

TABLE 3
Virgin River Direct and Indirect Regional Impacts of Critical Habitat Designation

Output Changes Percentage
NPV @ 3% Deviations
(1990$ Millions) from Baseline

Sub-regional Results

Construction Scenario I

Washington County
Clark County

-47.5
-10.6

-0.0016

-0.00001

Conservation Scenari02

Washington County

- 1 3.7

-0.00046

Construction Scenario
Conservation Scenario

Regional Results
-59.8
-20.9

-0.0001

-0.0000

Notes:
1. The Construction Scenario (Sn for the Virgin Study meets the increased needs on behalf of the endangered
fishes by accelerating the construction of reservoirs and acce lerated retirement of agricu ltural land.
2. The Conservation Scenario (CO) for the Virgin Study meets the increased water demands primarily by reducing
per capita consumption through investment in water conservation measures, e.g., low-flow shower heads,
xeriscaping, etc. for residential and commercial buildings.

Under the conservation scenario, no direct impacts accrue to Clark County. Thus, only impacts
in Washington County are presented. Implementing the conservation scenario will reduce the

27