Recreational Boater Willingness to Pay for a Dredging and Maintenance Program for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in North Carolina

We estimate the changes in value of recreational boating with a dredging program along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) in North Carolina. We use willingness to pay data from the contingent valuation method and stated preference data on trip changes. Willingness to pay depends in expected ways on the magnitude of trip change and income. We find that each recreational boater would be willing to pay $97 annually in the form of a surcharge on their boat registration fee. The aggregate annual benefits of the dredging and maintenance policy are $20.5 million.