The AWWA Economics Research Committee met in January 1980 and identified five categories of concern in water utility planning and operation: capacity planning; demand forecasting; water supply pricing; estimating water costs; and, benefits and costs of improving water quality. Existing knowledge about these topics decreases from the first to the last; i.e., the profession knows most about capacity planning and least about the benefits and costs of higher treatment standards. A subcommittee chairman for each category was assigned to produce a report on existing knowledge and research needs. Each of the subcommittees consists of two to four members who are self‐selected. A preliminary report on the work of the Economics Research Committee was given at the AWWA Annual Conference in 1980, and a fuller report was presented in a two‐hour program at the 1982 conference. The five subcommittee reports published in this issue of the JOURNAL constitute the final committee report.