FLOOD05827 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

making process. Intangible benefits and costs are appropriately in- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I zation. Almost by definition, intangible benefits were considered to be immeasureable and are not incluJed in this study. Intangible benefits include those components of environmental apprecl~- tion which are flat directly quantifiable in terms of dollar value or doll~rs spent for their usage. NormcJlly, intangibles accrue from the aesthetic, scientific, educational, historical and recreational aspects of natural and man-made environments. One ~dditional intangible benefit, pecul iar to residents of flood hazard areas, is the peace of mind which can be enjoyed by those safeguarded from future flood damages; however, an adverse effect is the false sense of security the resiJents adjacent to a flood control project may develop by beginning to feel safe from all floods. Larger floods than 100-year do occur and this fact should not be forgotten. The channel improvements within the basin provide opportunities to identify intangible benefits, revive additional ones which have been destroyed by the urbanization, and create new ones. The inclusion of intangible benefits In the land use decision-making process presents obvious advantages. Benefit/cost analyses have been used to weigh the merits of various alternative courses of action in terms of economic efficiency. This required that all benefits and costs be given a dollar value to be included in the benefit/cost decision- cluded in the decision-making process as effects to be considered in addition to the benefit/cost analysis. 66