ABSTRACT
Regional water quality management systems that incorporate the full range of alternatives are still in the planning stage in the United States, although collective regional-scale measures for water quality improvement have been instituted in a few cases by local, state, private, and/or federal agencies. 1 However, more systematic planning for regional water quality management is evolving, and progressively more comprehensive and sophisticated planning approaches are being taken. Because the plans involve a greater variety and number of components, the systems are more intricate in terms of both planning and operation, and questions of the institutional means for implementation become increasingly critical. The need is especially acute in situations where coordination of the decisions of many public and private parties is needed and where the financing of various alternatives presents diverse problems. Furthermore, where information on the benefits and costs— especially the benefits—associated with various water quality objectives is limited, mechanisms are needed to gauge public preferences and to see that the interests of affected parties are appropriately reflected in decision making.
