Abstract
ABSTRACT
A group of seven small communities on the outer ring of the rapidly growing, high-technology industrial belt of eastern Massachusetts was chosen to study how local governments had come to grips with the problems of chemical contamination of groundwater. Changing attitudes and practices are described. The relations among local officials, industrial managers, and environmentalists evolved rapidly in the study communities, particularly as major instances of hazardous waste problems emerged, or contamination caused the closing of municipal wells. These changes fall into two characteristic patterns, which are analyzed and tentatively explained.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.