The overall objectives of the study, were to utilize the techniques of operations research to determine the economic effects of changing the water quality requirements of an estuarine water basin. The specific objectives were: To study the transportation, dispersion, and degradation of waste constituents in an estuarine basin. To develop dispersion models for optimal allocation of water quality in an estuary to achieve various related objectives. To develop discrete versions of the disper ion models as linear programs. To develop an integrated multicomponent model of dispersion and waste treatment which will simultaneously provide an optimal plan of waste treatment. To study various modifications of the model and the economic effects of various alternative quality-improvement projects. (Author)