We were tasked with answering the question of: How does water clarity affect housing values within Manitowoc County? To do this within this study, we examined over 8000 housing sale transactions within a four-county region including and adjacent to Manitowoc County. In order to evaluate water clarity, satellite data from the Wisconsin DNR was utilized. Using hedonic modeling, we find that a one-foot increase in water clarity will result in a 3.2% increase in home values for properties located within 250 meters of a lake. This proposes a clear economic rationale for improving water quality in lakes within this region.

The Manitowoc County Lakes Association is sponsoring a project to evaluate how lake water clarity impacts property values in Manitowoc County. Project final deliverables include: all data collected and a final report of the findings developed by the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire describing lake water clarity and property values for Manitowoc County.