| Abstract: | Certain government agencies and Indian tribes can recover compensatory damages for injuries to groundwater caused by releases of hazardous substances. Several states have initiated claims for groundwater damages from contamination without specific guidance for assessing such damages. Many settlements have occurred, but in states such as New Mexico and New Jersey, the trustees for these natural resources have not been successful when litigating their groundwater damage claims, largely because their claims were not consistent with well-established scientific and economic principles. This article provides a framework for assessing groundwater damages from contamination that is based on well-established scientific and economic principles. |
