ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the administrative problems of an interdisciplinary university research effort to examine the "real" environmental impacts of the reservoir ten years after it had begun operation. The project titled "Ex Post Reservoir Study: The Case of Lake Shelbyville" was housed in the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Illinois, and headed by Rabel J. Burdge, a rural sociologist. Aside from an unwillingness to learn about data collection costs, the divergent nature of the data bases used by economists, biologists, and sociologists complicates earnest efforts at cooperation. The ideal person needs a flexible mind and the ability to intuitively grasp technical methods and results produced by biological scientists, economists, and sociologists. Diverse input is important in the formulation of an environmental impact assessment research program, because what is included under the rubric of impact is only being established within the literature.
