The Benefits and Costs of Policies Related to Groundwater Contamination
提出了衡量地下水保护政策收益的概念框架，并通过三个垃圾填埋场案例说明，若未采取有效预防和清理措施，资源可能被错配。
A conceptual framework to measure the benefits of groundwater protection policies takes the premise that the probabilistic value of protection is at least as great as the expected costs of contamination. Application of the theoretical framework to three case studies of waste disposal sites currently affecting vital aquifers illustrate the extent to which resources may be misallocated if efficient prevention and clean-up options are not pursued. The study shows that (1) potential contamination sites are unique, making the efficiency of alternative policies highly site specific; (2) the benefits of preventing contamination will not always exceed costs; (3) corrective action will not be supported on a cost-benefit basis in all cases; (4) economic parameters will affect policy analyses; and (5) monitoring and detection strategies provide important information. 16 references, 5 tables.