Because of El Niño's seemingly late start and uncertain progress, a pattern that did not conform to some early predictions, some people in the western United States question what effect El Niño finally will have on the area; some even believe the event might be diminishing. El Niño, however, should not be lightly dismissed, as recent rains demonstrate. A January report from the U.S. Weather Service's Tucson office confirms El Niño's continued presence: 'We are currently in a strong El Niño episode, which is forecast to continue through April 1998. This episode is similar in magnitude and aerial extent to that of 1982-83, which is considered the strongest of the century."

Increased precipitation from El Niño ensures more abundant vegetative growth, which in turn raises concern about increased fire hazards, especially during Arizona's summer fire season. Whatever fire hazards are due this year to El Niño are not being experienced evenly throughout the state, however, with some areas actually having less fires. And, in some cases, El Niño's legacy may not be apparent this season, but instead be evident by fires in future years.

In January 2014, Arizona will begin its first farmland fallowing and forbearance project. Unlike similar fallowing programs in the West, this project does not transfer the water conserved in the agricultural sector to the municipal sector. For the time being, this program seeks to conserve water in the Colorado River system. The saved water will be maintained in Lake Mead, increasing its dwindling levels and helping forestall shortages to water users in the Lower Colorado River Basin. Since 2000, water levels in Lake Mead have fallen by an alarming 100 feet. If the lake’s elevation falls by another 30 feet, users in the lower basin would face reductions in water allocations.

In the City of Prescott, the Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, along Granite Creek, is an oasis for wildlife and humans surrounded by development. The city’s wastewater treatment plant and transfer station are located a block to the east, a lumber company and a concrete block manufacturer are located to the south, Highway 89 and some dense subdivisions are to the west. Over the last century, this riparian area has been a sand and gravel mine, a dumpsite, a 4-wheel playground, and a shooting range. In 1995, the City of Prescott established the Watson Woods Riparian Preserve and transferred its management to Prescott Creeks, a grassroots organization working to improve the health of the local Granite Creek Watershed. With the labor of community volunteers, Prescott Creeks realigned four sections of the degraded creek channel giving them a more natural course and revegetated the floodplain to restore riparian habitat and improve water quality. In an area where non-point source pollution is a serious water quality issue, these changes help slow stormwater runoff and filter E-coli bacteria and other contaminants.

Yet another conservation easement has been worked out along the Babocomari River, making the fourth such agreement in the area since January. The total area now protected stands at 1,410.2 acres and 4.61 miles of river. What is occurring along the Babocamari River reflects a national trend: the increased use of conservation easements as a strategy to protect natural resources. According to the Land Trust Alliance the amount of land protected by local and state land trusts using easements doubled to 6.2 million acres between 2000 and 2005.

Includes insert: "The Ecological Implications of Verde River Flows" / Does it take a Crypto Creature to catch public attention and raise concerns about critical water issues citizens should know and care about? The Water Services Department of Bryan Texas found the approach effective in educating citizens about the threat of cryptosporidium in drinking water. Whatever else might be said of the strategy of relying heavily on the skills of a cartoonist, the message came readily across that the crypotosporidium pathogen is mean, nasty and dangerous, a pest best shunned. Another cautionary water message that recently caught public attention was that drinking water supplies throughout the country contain pharmaceuticals.

Includes supplement: Water Sustainability Program, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona / How much water is needed to produce a hamburger? At one time this was not the type of question many water officials deeply pondered. They were more concerned with the amount of water used to irrigate a lawn or operate a washing machine than worry about hamburgers, sugar, milk, oils and vegetables as significant water-using commodities. This was food that could be purchased, served and consumed, with nary a flow, sprinkle or drip evident to disturb the most devote water-saving consumers and dampen their appetites. Now drought and water shortages have created stricter water accountability.

Includes supplement: WRRC Hosted ADEQ's 20th Anniversary Conference. / Recently passed legislation will allow Cochise County voters to create a special water management district on the upper San Pedro River as part of a plan to preserve its flow. The legislation has varied significance. Many in the environmental community view the new law as first and foremost a river-preservation effort; others see the bill as representing a breakthrough in the state's ongoing effort to adopt a rural water management strategy. Either way most would agree that the legislation is certainly timely, addressing critical problems in need of solution, both river preservation and rural water management.

In a brief commentary piece that appeared in the Aug. 23 Arizona Republic titled “Why the Valley could be the Venice in the desert” editorial writer Kathleen Ingles lauds efforts underway in Scottsdale to develop its canal areas as attractive public space. She hopes the completion of the gateway art project, part of the Scottsdale Waterfront, “sparks more interest in taking advantage of the scenic value of our canal system. Excluding the Central Arizona Project, metropolitan Phoenix has 131 miles of major canals. Four times more than Venice."

Includes supplement: USGS insert prepared in cooperation with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, City of Tucson Water Department, Pima County, the Town of Oro Valley, and the Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District. "Land Subsidence and Aquifer Compaction in the Tucson Active Management Area, South-Central Arizona- 1987-2005" by R.L. Carruth, D.R. Pool, and C.E. Anderson. / Prescott Valley town officials are pleased with the results of an auction of 2,724 acre-feet of effluent water rights that could net the town over $67 million, funds the town will use to acquire needed water supplies for the rapidly growing area. The favorable results at auction have been attributed to the careful planning and calculated efforts that went into researching and structuring the unprecedented water marketing transaction. Developing the auction structure, terms and procedures required a special effort because there were no previous examples to use as a model; the town was breaking new ground.