| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: There is a significant misallocation of resources in the construction and operation of municipal sewage treatment systems in North America. Central to this misallocation is the inadequate evaluation of alternative treatment technologies, alternative distributions of responsibility for waste treatment, and alternative mechanisms for inducing compliance with treatment system requirements. Perverse incentives in the current institutional structure limit the scope of alternatives examined by decisionmakers. Determination of the least cost solution to the problem of urban effluent abatement requires mathematical modeling for the delineation of optimal treatment strategies on a system wide basis. The adoption of modern methods of systems analysis can identify significant opportunities for the reduction of economic waste in the treatment of municipal sewage. |
