Many water resource engineers and planners have indicated that some of the most difficult problems in successful water resource development relate to social problems. Social value alternatives, such as conservation, aesthetics, and recreation, are involved in the choices of development, but cannot be easily quantified in economic terms. The study deals with the effects of a proposal for the technological development of a water resource; in this case, The Bear River Project. The broad objectives of this exploratory work are: to determine the social psychological value patterns affecting water resource development; and to determine how basic cultural and social organizational arrangements are interrelated in motivations and attitudes and affecting the development and use of water. One of the attitudes investigated in the study was concerned with whether interbasin transfer of water was right or wrong. Attitudes toward water use by various categories of residence provide insight into the location of likely support for future project proposals. It is expected that the broad exploratory nature of this study will provide a useful background for other studies with more specialized and limited goals. (WRSIC abstract)