Mostly underground and out of sight, the effects of groundwater over-pumping and declining water tables are difficult for many people to envision, much less conceptualize. The most apparent manifestation of excessive groundwater pumping seems to be the political and public policy debates the issue provokes. In other words, the most obvious effect of groundwater overdraft in Arizona is the Groundwater Management Act.

In its effort to best use all its available water supplies, Arizona must do more than conserve water. The state must also identify and develop new water resources to support its growing population, and effluent is being increasingly looked to as an important and valuable source of water. Plans are under way to develop this resource more fully to reduce groundwater pumpage in the state. (Due to varied usages, the word "effluent" has become an imprecise term. As the word is often used, effluent may refer to untreated wastewater--or it may mean wastewater that has been treated and is available for various uses. To avoid ambiguity the term "reclaimed water" will be used when referring to water resources derived from treated effluent.)

Arizona's natural attractions include deserts, mountains and canyons. Although not as noticed, another important natural feature is the state's perennial streams. Segments of such rivers as the Gila, Salt, Verde, San Pedro and the Hassayampa flow year round and support fish populations, wildlife and water-based recreation as well as sustaining rich riparian ecosystems. A concern about maintaining perennial flow at some minimal level, with possible seasonal variations, is the central issue in the instream flow debate.

A concern for Indian water rights has come to be one of the nation's most important water resource issues. Its importance is demonstrated by the fact that Indian water rights claims are presently being adjudicated in almost every western state. These rights are usually very senior and also unquantified. How conflicts over these claims will be settled will affect water use and management throughout the West.

Although many and varied, all sources of water pollution are classified as either point or nonpoint. Pollution comes from a point source if its origins are distinct and identifiable; hence, point source is also called an end-of-the-pipe source. Pollution from point sources can usually be quantified, often by direct measurement. Point sources can often be regulated effectively with federal and state permits.

Enacted in 1980, Arizona's Groundwater Management Act (GMA) is a decade old. The ten year anniversary of the GMA provides an appropriate opportunity to review the act and interpret its effectiveness. Is the GMA on track toward its stated goal of controlling the severe groundwater overdraft occurring in various areas of the state?

The U.S.- Mexico boundary is a political division and, although surveyed, mapped and patrolled, cannot completely determine the two nations' rights to the water resources along their common border. The flow of rivers and streams and the occurrence of groundwater are largely determined by nonpolitical, natural forces. As a result, the United States and Mexico must often negotiate the allocation and use of border water resources.

Semiarid, with a scarcity of water resources, Arizona might seem an unlikely state to be threatened by flooding. Flooding in Arizona, however, does indeed pose serious threats to life and property in the state. In fact, because of erosion and scouring in unstable stream channels, certain flood hazards exist in the arid Southwest that are not generally present in humid regions of the United States.

Drought in Arizona might seem less a special water management concern than a natural and permanent condition. That an area is generally desert, however, with a warm, arid-semiarid climate does not mean it is afflicted with drought. Usually enough precipitation falls in the state to support a thriving desert ecosystem, with its varied flora and fauna, all adapted to dry conditions.

Efforts are currently underway to establish regional water supply agencies to serve two Arizona urban areas: Tucson and Phoenix. Already authorized by the state Legislature, the Tucson Active Management Area Water Augmentation Authority (TWAA) is in the final process of being formed. Meanwhile, the Arizona Legislature is currently considering legislation to authorize a Phoenix Groundwater Replenishment District (PGRD) to serve the Phoenix Active Management Area.