ABSTRACT
Any assessment which purports to be "social" in its character must deal with man in social terms. A meaningful assessment must refer not only to economic indicators but also to questions of man's social relationships, personal life-style, and the culture in which she or he lives. This chapter describes a number of fundamental issues concerning development of a social well-being account, including: the type of model it requires; the concept of a causal agent; the nature of the area being affected; and the various types and levels of social effects. A sound approach to social assessment includes the concept that whatever social good occurs from a public investment, it must be expressed in terms of how individual people are affected. In more general terms, each of the plans presents a different approach to affecting water and its related land development for an area. The chapter assesses community characteristics that provide a basis upon which future effects.
