The Economics of Water Sources 
LOUIS KOENIG 
Southwest Research Institute, 
San Antonio, Texas 
I have been asked to make a statement, in the nature of an 
afterthought at a natural science conference, on the economics of 
water sources, and, in a general way, on the economics of arid 
lands. One of the characteristic distinctions between the natural 
and the social sciences is that the former have a superabundance 
of facts and data, whereas the latter have a notable deficiency of 
these. Since facts and data are frequently, if begrudgingly, capable 
of cutting short and bringing to an untimely end an otherwise 
healthy discussion, it is not surprising that natural scientists are 
noted for their taciturnity, while social scientists are blessed with 
a superabundance of talk. This no doubt accounts for the time 
limit which has been placed on my remarks, as well as the fact 
that a natural scientist has been chosen to talk on economics, 
possibly with the hope that he would stumble into some facts that 
would bring his discussion to a timely end. 
W ater Economics 
Attention has been given to the prospects of additional water 
resources: artificial precipitation, demineralization, and water 
re-use. 
Artificial Precipitation 
A diligent search for economic data on artificial precipitation 
leads only to the conclusion that economic statements on artificial 
precipitation cannot be made at this time. One can cite several 
individual cases, for example that of Shreveport, Louisiana, which 
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