ABSTRACT
The MODSUR-STICS-NEWSAM model simulates the distribution of nitrate in groundwater over three aquifers of the Seine River basin. Used in a prospective evaluation, the future trend of water quality has been assessed under two scenarios, “Current status quo” and “Agro-environmental measures”. A cost-benefit analysis of the results is used in order to compare each scenario. The farmers’ costs are determined from direct measures costs and from the crop yield variations computed by the model. The evaluation of benefits is limited to drinking water for domestic consumers. The corresponding damage is computed for the whole basin by applying the systematic curative treatment of water wells according to Raucher’s method.
