As groundwater flows through the ground, metals such as iron and manganese are dissolved and may later be found in high concentrations in the water. Industrial discharges, urban activities, agriculture, ground-water pumpage, and disposal of waste all can affect ground-water quality.
Cost-benefit analysis is a relatively straightforward tool for deciding whether to pursue a project. To use the tool, first list all the anticipated costs associated with the project, and then estimate the benefits that you'll receive from it.
Cost curve. In economics, a cost curve is a graph of the costs of production as a function of total quantity produced. In a free market economy, productively efficient firms use these curves to find the optimal point of production (minimizing cost), and profit maximizing firms can use them to decide output quantities to achieve those aims.