Includes papers originally published in the annual reports of the Committee on the Economics of Water Resources Development of the Western Agricultural Economics Research Council. Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction / Stephen C. Smith and Emery N. Castle -- pt. I: Economic evaluation, concepts. Benefit-cost analysis and public resource development / S.V. Ciriacy-Wantrup -- Welfare aspects of benefit-cost analysis / John V. Krutilla -- Choosing among alternative public investments in the water resource field / Peter O. Steiner -- Economic analysis in the allocation of the federal budget to resource development / M.M. Kelso -- The economist and the engineer : economic dynamics of water resource development / Kenneth Boulding -- Engineering and economics in project planning / Ray K. Linsley -- pt. II. Economic evaluation, quantification. Economic evaluation of public irrigation development / Clyde E. Stewart -- Regional differences in the impact of irrigation on farm output / J.C. Headley and V.W. Ruttan -- Operational procedures for evaluating flood protection benefits / R.A. Freund, Jr., and G.S. Tolley -- Activity analysis in water planning / Emery N. Castle -- pt. III. Financial responsibility. Cost allocation in relation to western water policies / S.V. Ciriacy-Wantrup -- Sharing financial responsibility of river basin development / Mark M. Regan -- Economics of public water pricing : The California case / Michael F. Brewer -- pt. IV: Economics and water law. Concepts used as economic criteria for a system of water rights / S.V. Ciriacy-Wantrup -- The concept of reasonable beneficial use in the law of surface streams / Frank J. Trelease -- Groundwater legislation / Wells A. Hutchins -- Water resources : comments upon the federal-state relationship / Sho Sato -- pt. V: Organization. The role of the public district in the integrated management of ground and surface water / Stephen C. Smith -- Organization and water rights in the rural-urban transfer of water / Stephen C. Smith -- National water resources administration / James W. Fesler -- Rational choice in water resources planning / Hubert Marshall -- The allocation of water on international streams / John G. Laylin and Brice M. Clagett.