Seminar from Professor Kurt Schwabe, University of California Riverside - Forever Chemicals, Finite Trust: PFAS Detection and the Shift in California’s Drinking Water Choices

Date

28 November 2025

Time

5-6pm ACST

Venue

Flinders University Festival Plaza, Room 306, Level 3

Speakers

Professor Kurt Schwabe
Prof. Schwabe’s research focuses on economic issues associated with water use and water affordability, agricultural production, urban water conservation, ecosystem services, and environmental regulation. His papers have appeared in wide range of peer-reviewed publications, including Nature Sustainability, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Land Economics, and the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, and was co-editor of two books on water titled, Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: A Multi-Disciplinary and Cross-Country Perspective, and The Handbook of Water Economics.

Prof. Schwabe received a BA in Mathematics and Economics at Macalester College, an MS in Economics at Duke University, and a PhD in Environmental Economics at the North Carolina State University. He currently is a Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy at the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside, a Senior Policy Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center and was a 2023-24 Fulbright Distinguished Chair Fellow of Science, Innovation, and Technology (Australia). Dr. Schwabe was a first-gen college student, serves as Chair on the Board of Directors for Feeding America of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, and in 2021 completed a 32-year effort to paddle the entire Mississippi River in a canoe.

Price

Ordinary Member Cost: $0.00
Student Member Cost: $0.00
Emeritus Member Cost: $0.00
Non Members Cost: $0.00

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Description

About this Event

Forever Chemicals, Finite Trust: PFAS Detection and the Shift in California’s Drinking Water Choices

We investigate consumer responses to the detection of Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) in California’s tap water, focusing on increased demand for bottled water and in-home water treatment devices.

To examine this, we combine PFAS detection data from the California State Water Resources Control Board with household purchase data from NielsenIQ.

Our empirical approach relies on a difference-in-differences method and triple-difference specifications.

We find that PFAS detection leads to an average increase of 17 gallons (251%) in monthly bottled water purchases per household, corresponding to an additional $26.28 (273%) in monthly spending.

This response demonstrates proactive consumer behaviour in response to perceived risks of contamination.

We also find heterogeneity in the estimated effect based on household income level, with lower-income households exhibiting a greater increase in bottled water purchases.

As local agencies and states grapple with various strategies to mitigate PFAS contamination and funding mechanisms, understanding the value to consumers of such cleanup efforts can be informative.

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