Audio for "Introduction to Trading for Water Quality Protection," Dec 14, 2005 (Part 1 of 2)

In recent years there has been a lot of talk about water quality trading, also known as effluent trading or “cap and trade.” Have you ever wondered what water quality trading is and how it works? This Webcast will cover the basics of trading—where it’s happening around the country, why watershed stakeholders might be interested in adopting trading programs, and the rudiments of how such programs work. We’ll cover questions like: Who are likely credit buyers and sellers? How is the cap determined and how do trades ensure that the cap is met? How can one avoid hot spots? Why is trading most likely to be used for nutrient reduction? How can we determine whether trading is likely to meet the water quality goals of a particular watershed? We will also describe the Willamette Partnership, a case study example of a water quality trading program addressing temperature problems within a large river basin. To view the slides associated with this audio, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/owWQTrading_121405/