Environmental issues will continue to be of major concern to scientists, sociologists and politicians of all countries in the immediate future. At the forefront of such interest are issues related to water which are manifest in problems of pollution, nourishment, management, conservation, flood control, climate, energy supply and so on. It is natural therefore that the SPRUCE initiative, concerned as it is with Statistics in Public Resources, Utilities and in Care of the Environment, should have organised its second international conference, held in Rothamsted, UK, in September 1993, on the specific theme of statistical models and methods in relation to environmental problems concerning water. This volume presents an integrated and comprehensive coverage of the material of the conference, contributed by leading workers in the field. The dual emphasis is on soundly constructed statistical models and methods and on their use in specific practical applications, making this book an essential resource for scientists and statisticians involved in water related areas of environmental monitoring, protection and conservation.