A volume from the "Studies in Geophysics" series of the National Research Council entitled: "Scientific Basis of Water-Resources Management"




             UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
                        GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
                        RESTON, VA. 22092

In Reply Refer To:                            September 20, 1984
WGS-Mail Stop 411


GROUND WATER BRANCH TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 84.03

Subject:  PUBLICATIONS--A volume from the "Studies in Geophysics"
                        series of the National Research Council
                        entitled: "Scientific Basis of Water-
                        Resources Management"

This volume contains two papers primarily concerned with ground
water.  The paper by Bredehoeft, Papdopulos, and Cooper on the
"water budget myth" reexamines the principles that affect the
response of aquifers to development by wells.  Although C. V.
Theis, in his 1940 paper entitled "The source of water derived
from wells: Essential factors controlling the response of any
aquifer to development" stated these principles clearly, the
authors believe that the need to repeat the message is evidenced
by ground-water management practice in some areas.

The paper by Nielson and Biggar considers flow and solute
transport through the "vadose zone."  They illustrate the need to
consider chemical, physical, and microbiological principles
together to fully understand the nature of flow and solute
transport in the vadose zone.

Many of the other papers in this volume, while less directly
concerned with ground water, nonetheless contain information and
perspectives that should be of interest to ground-water
hydrologists.  In addition, the discussions on prediction versus
understanding, empirical versus casual models, and local versus
global scale in the section "Overview and Recommendations" are
stimulating and are relevant to all aspects of hydrology.

A copy of this volume is being sent to each District Office.  We
recommend that these volumes be brought to the attention of the
ground-water hydrologists.



                              (s) Charles A. Appel
                              for Eugene P. Patten
                              Chief, Ground Water Branch

Distribution:  A, B, FO, PO