The following two articles focus on the polluted streams and rivers that have flowed with the refuse of our industrial and urban growth. The discussion will continue next month with two proposals on how our water resources might better be managed: Allen V. Kneese will propose a radical approach to halting water pollution, and Richard S. Lewis will report on Nawapa—a plan for obtaining enough water for North America's twenty first century needs. Here, Leonard Wolf, who is professionally engaged in studies of environmental health, takes the Merrimack River as a case that dramatizes the problems and demonstrates the limitations of present efforts for river management. Cooper H. Wayman, research chemist in the water pollution laboratory of the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, describes the effects of foaming detergents in our waste water. In addition to the technical problems, the discussion shows the urgent need for a revised code of cooperation between industry and government on questions of pollution control. Where does the final responsibility lie?