Chapter VI 



CURRENT DEFICIENCIES AND 

 FUTURE NEEDS FOR EFFECTIVE 

 GROUND-WATER DEVELOPMENT 



Utilization of ground-water reservoirs for the greatest bene- 

 fit of civilization is dependent first on adequate hydrologic 

 data, from which the full potential of development is deter- 

 mined. A second factor of major importance is the permissive 

 limit of development which is set by legal concepts; if devel- 

 opment is not to be unduly restricted, it is essential that these 

 concepts be based on broad scientific principles and adequate 

 hydrologic data. The practical limit of development and utili- 

 zation of ground water will be set by the general public, who 

 must weigh the value of the water to them against the cost of 

 obtaining it, and this limit is thus dependent on the degree of 

 enlightenment of the citizenry as to the possibilities and limita- 

 tions of ground-water reservoirs in meeting their requirements 

 for water. 



Hydrologic Data 



We do not know enough about most ground-water reser- 

 voirs to give a quantitative answer as to their potentialities or 

 limitations for development. This has been apparent from the 

 discussions of the specific problems in preceding chapters. But 

 those descriptions do not give a true picture of the state of 

 our knowledge on a nationwide basis, for in order to draw any 

 conclusions at all, it was necessary to select those areas where 

 some studies had been made of ground-water conditions. Far 

 less is known about the parts of the country not mentioned, 

 and in those areas we lack the knowledge necessary to make 



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