Y.Y. Haimes - Böcker

The protection of groundwater resources has emerged in recent years as a high priority topic on the agenda of many countries. In responding to the growing concern over deteriorating groundwater quality, many countries are developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the management of subsurface water resources with management referring to both quantity and quality aspects. Within this framework, groundwater models are rapidly coming to playa central role in the development of protection and rehabilitation strategies. These models provide forecasts of the future state of the groundwater aquifer systems and/or the unsaturated zone in response to proposed management initiatives. For example, models will predict the effects of implementing a proposed management scheme on water levels and on the transport and fate of pollutants. The models are now used in the formulation of policies and regulations, the issuing of permits, design of monitoring and data collection systems, and the development of enforcement actions. The growth in the use of these sophisticated tools has led to many unforeseen problems in groundwater management. Lingering issues include reliability of codes, quality assurance in model development and applications, efficient utiliza­ tion of human and material resources, technology transfer and training. Some issues have legal ramifications, as in cases where the applications of models have been contested in courts.

The difficulties associated with making risk assessments on the basis of experimental results are familiar to practitioners in many fields­ engineering, epidemiology, chemistry, etc. These difficulties are particularly common in problems that have dynamic and stochastic characteristics driven by multiple purposes and goals, with complex interconnections and inter­ dependencies. Acquiring an appropriate data base, processing and analyzing model results, and transmitting these results at an appropriate technical, social, political, and institutional level are additional difficulties that must be addressed. This book is grounded on the premise that risks are best assessed on the basis of experimental results and sound mathematical analyses, coupled with the knowledge of experts. The carcinogenicity prediction and battery selection (ePBS) approach described herein provides a systematic mechan­ ism-a synthesis of systems and statistical and decision analyses-to aid researchers and decision makers in the critical field of carcinogenicity prediction in selecting an appropriate battery of tests to use and in translating experimental results into information that can be used as an aid to decision making.

This volume constitutes the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Water Resources and Land-Use Planning that was held in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, July 3-14, 1978. In the pre­ paration of the two-week NASI, we identified 12 major goals and objectives, knowing well, at the time, that the satisfaction of all priorities would be an impossible task. It is instructive that we share these early goals and objectives with our readers prior to evaluating the NASI's contribution. 1. Relate and analyze water resources (water quantity and quality, surface and groundwater) and related land resources in a multi­ objective framework. 2. Identify and relate the scientific, technological, institu­ tional, societal, legal and political aspects of water and related land resources to policy decisions. 3. Promote and foster the transfer of technological information and assistance in water related land resources within the var­ ious levels of government. 4. Analyze the above three objectives and goals in light of the experience gained by the institute participants via case studies. 5. Improve communication and understanding among the various dis­ ciplines involved in water and related land resources. 6. Discuss and analyze the applicability of advanced planning methodologies germane to water and related land resources. 7. Identify current and projected future water and related land resources problems and issues and suggest ways to alleviate their respective and interrelated impacts.