There are several reasons why estimates for economic values of environmental resources

are required. The main reason is to just to justify and decide how to allocate public tax dollars on

conservation initiatives and to consider the public's support for environmental

initiatives. Natural resource valuation is also useful in order to compare the benefits of different

projects, to prioritize conservation or restoration projects, and to maximize the efficiency of

benefits per dollar spent. Ecosystem valuation also appeals to a wide array of groups, from

environmentalists who feel that natural ecosystems are severely undervalued and free-market

economists who believe valuation can enhance efficiency and allocation of environmental

benefits (Carpenter and Turner, 2000).

 The purpose of this study is to provide the Columbia County Government, Suwannee

River Water Management District, and all other interested parties an inventory of the sources of

nitrate pollution in the Ichetucknee springshed. The nutrient budget is needed due to a lack of

information and misconceptions of nutrient sources in the basin among decision makers and

constituents in the Basin. By identifying the sources and loads of N in the basin, if there is a

policy that needs to be implemented concerning the Ichetucknee, this data should inform it.

 The other objective of this study is to estimate the public's willingness to pay to improve

and protect water quality in the Ichetucknee using the contingent valuation method. The results

of this study help inform the debate over the allocation of funds for groundwater protection, and

should provide useful information for policymakers in the region. This information can only be

provided by surveying the public and asking them directly to state their values and preferences.