President Carter signed into law the Water Research and Development Act (P.L. 95-467) on October 17, 1978. The Act repeals the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 (P .L. 88-379) and the Saline Water Conversion Act of 1971 (P.L. 92-60), and amends the Water Research and Conversion Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-84).

Arizona ranks in the top 10 among the 50 states in terms of total amount of groundwater pumped and amount of groundwater pumped per square mile of land surface, according to recently compiled U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Division has begun a comprehensive study of groundwater basins in southern Arizona, in parts of adjacent states and in Mexico.

Steam produced by the Earth's internal heat has been used to drive generators and produce electricity since the early years of the 20th century. Consequently there has been a tendency for people to believe that generating electricity is the only application of geothermal resources. Spurred by the ever-increasing costs of petroleum, renewed efforts have been launched to bring geothermal and other energy resources into greater use.

The Bureau of Reclamation has changed its name to the WATER AND POWER RESOURCES SERVICE, to reflect changes in emphasis that have been made in the function of the agency.

On June 19, Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt delivered a copy of Arizona's new Groundwater Management Act to Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus in Washington. D.C. Andrus indicated that passage of this Act would have a direct bearing on his preliminary allocations of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water. President Carter recommended that "further funding of the project be contingent upon further study of groundwater supplies and institution of groundwater regulation and management by the State of Arizona."

A special study group of the Groundwater Management Study Commission has presented concepts for agreement for groundwater law reform in Arizona. The study group consisted of Governor Babbitt and Senator Stan Turley and representatives from Arizona's mining, agricultural and municipal interests. On March 6, 1980, the entire Groundwater Management Study Commission voted to have the concepts for agreement drafted into legislation.

The Southern Arizona Water Rights Settlement Act was vetoed by President Reagan this past June, cancelling seven years of negotiations between the Papago Indian Tribe and a diverse array of competing water users. The President cited what he considered a serious flaw in the process: the federal government had not been a party to the negotiations, yet would bear most of the financial burden of the settlement.

Regulations for spacing new water wells in the state's AMAS have been adopted by the Department of Water Resources (DWR). These regulations, required by the 1980 Groundwater Management Act, apply to wells within AMAs that will pump more than 35 gallons per minute (gpm).

Agriculture is an important part of Arizona's history, its culture and its economy. We should not sacrifice agriculture to urban growth and industrialization. Rather, we should strive to use the rapid changes and pressures on agriculture to encourage technological change and economic development in agriculture."