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ro, 00 <::> 0') importance of the goals and purposes associated with alternative decisions. Of themselves, neither the goals nor purposes directly yield the precise quantitative statements required by systems analysis procedures. Therefore, the objectives require a mathe- matical description before alternative strategies can be evaluated (Hall and Dracup, 1970). Presumably, such a comparison would permit a ranking of these pOlicies as a basis for decision making. The specific measure to facilitate this examination can be defined as the optimizing criterion. The central problem is to link the descriptions of the physical environment via mathematical models with the social and political environment (Thomann, 1972). Probably the most commonly used and widely accepted "indicators" are found among the many economic objective functions. However, considerable controversy exists as to the most realistic of these tools. If, for example, aspects of a water quality problem could be priced in an idealized free market monetary exchange, the forces that operated would insure that every individ~al's marginal costs equalled his marginal gains, thereby insuring maximum economic efficiency. In the absence of this ideal situation water quality cannot be quantified with a high degree of accuracy and the optimizing criterion in any case is at best an indicator of the particular alternative. Among the more adaptable economic indicators are maximi- zation of net benefits, minimum costs, maintaining the economy, and economic development. The use of each depends on the ability to adequately define tangible and intangible direct or indirect costs and benefits. In water resource development, and water quality management specifically, the economic incentives for more effective resource utilization are negative in nature (Kneese, 1964). A large part of this problem stems from the fact that water pollution is a cost passed on by the polluter to the downstream user. Consequently, the inability of the existing economic systems to adequately value costs and benefits has resulted in the establishment of water quality standards, however, inefficient these may be economically (Hall and Dracup, 1970). The immediate objective of water resource planners is thus to devise and analyze the alternatives for achieving these quality restrictions at minimum cost, the criteria chosen for this study. OPTIMIZATION METHOD The search for an optimizing technique to evaluate the relative merits of an array of alternatives depends largely upon the form of the problem and its constraints. While the allegorical Chinese maxim cited by Wilde and Beightler (1967) stating "There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view there is always the same," is also true in this case; not every method can be applied with the same ease. Each 8