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<br />extracting water on the ground-water and surface- <br />water system. Computer models attempt to repro- <br />duce the most important features of an actual <br />system with a mathematical representation. If <br />constructed correctly, the model represents the <br />complex relations among the inflows, outflows, <br />changes in storage, movement of water in the <br />system, and possibly other important features. <br />As a mathematical representation of the system, <br />the model can be used to estimate the response <br /> <br />of the system to various development options <br />and provide insight into appropriate management <br />strategies. However, a computer model is a simpli- <br />fied representation of the actual system, and the <br />judgment of water-management professionals is <br />required to evaluate model simulation results and <br />plan appropriate actions. We return to the use of <br />models in the final chapter of this report, "Meeting <br />the Challenges of Ground-Water Sustainability." <br /> <br />Because any use of ground water changes <br />the subsurface and sUlface environment (that is, the <br />water must come from somewhere), the public should <br />determine the tradeoff between ground-water use and <br />changes to the environment and set a threshold for <br />what level of change becomes undesirable. <br /> <br /> <br />23 <br />