The task force of the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) was concerned with providing perspective and guidelines for making the evaluation process a more meaningful and viable activity. Its report presents a grief overview of the evaluation process, identifies some needed changes in conceptual approach, and proposes some lines of research to improve subject-matter focus and methodology. A number of the major conclusions and recommendations had been adopted at the UCOWR conference at Blacksburg, Virginia, July 29, 1970. Additional recommendations included: The Office of Water Resources Research (OWRR) should specifically identify projects of high priority and take the lead in developing those projects even to the point of assembling research teams; The OWRR should consider extending the length of time for which it normally funds research projects in order that some of the research projects dealing with evaluation processes can be carefully planned and staged over intervals of time sufficient to provide meaningful and successful research undertakings; The OWRR should take the initiative in developing some interinstitutional and interregional projects that will foster new forms of research collaboration and hopefully provide some new research 'break throughs.'