A PROCEDURE FOR ESTIMATING OFF-SITE SEDIMENT DAMAGE COSTS AND AN EMPIRICAL TEST1

ABSTRACT This paper reports on research to develop a methodology for estimating agricultural off-site sediment damage costs and includes an empirical estimate of such damages for a watershed. The economics of off-site sediment damage costs are discussed as a theoretical basis for the procedures developed. A detailed methodology is described for estimating five different types of off-site sediment damages commonly associated with rural watersheds. The methodology is then applied to a central Illinois watershed and estimates of individual types of damage are made. The estimates are combined into an off-site sediment damage function for the watershed, and the usefulness of the damage function for analyzing off-site sediment damages and achieving a reduction in those costs is discussed.