Groundwater contamination is a growing problem that is receiving increasing attention on the national scene. There is recognition that federal, state, and local, programs for the protection of the nation's groundwater lack coordinated, integrated policy. Consequently, much of the responsibility for groundwater protection in rural areas falls upon local elected officials and public administrators who may be ill equipped to deal with technically c01nplex issues that are becoming increasingly germane and costly for many communities. This dissertation examines a rural county in Virginia (Clarke County) noted for its progressive groundwater protection policies, with the intent of the examination to improve the knowledge base of the dynamics of the groundwater protection process in rural areas. Case study methodology, implementation theory, and ethnographic techniques are used to determine what factors and forces play the greatest role in initiating and influencing groundwater protection outcomes in a rural setting. Answers are suggested for questions such as: (1) why does Clarke County display a different attitude towards groundwater protection than many of its neighbors in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia; (2) how was Clarke County able to initiate and institute groundwater protection plans; and (3) is there a special role for the public administrator in the rural groundwater protection policy process? / Ph. D.