Geothermal energy is expected to be a topic of growing importance in Arizona. Not only an energy issue, geothermal is also a water issue. In a hydrothermal system, water heated in the earth's interior is brought to the surface to be used as a source of energy. Geothermal heated water is also called geothermal fluid.

The urban heat island might be viewed as an unintended consequence of urban growth and development: UHI resulted when cityscapes were built-up and built-over. Unintended consequences then spawn their own set of consequences. A consequence of the UHI that is getting increased attention is its effect on the water resources of an area.

Bioremediation is putting microorganisms to work. "Bio" refers to the biological organisms and "remediation" refers to the job to be done: remediating or resolving an environmental problem caused by toxic chemicals and other hazardous wastes in soil and groundwater.

North-central Arizona's dilemma is the same confronting many other areas of the state: a growing population and limited water supplies. A recently released Bureau of Reclamation report both documents the extent of the water shortage and identifies possible solutions.

As if Arizona did not have enough water-supply worries due to population growth and drought, the state is now contending with an application to transfer groundwater from Arizona to Nevada. Of the varied and perplexing issues the requested out-of-state transfer raises, one the most significant and far-reaching is whether Arizona law can protect state water resources from such transfers. This is the first time the state water export law has been put to the test; it very likely won’t be the last. The controversy is being played out in a remote, rugged and sparsely populated corner of Arizona, in the far northwest part of the state, an area where Arizona, Nevada and Utah lie in close proximity.

A situation in Arizona is garnering national attention with the U.S. Supreme Court agreeing to hear a pair of consolidated appeals EPA v. Defenders of Wildlife and the National Association of Homebuilders v. Defenders of Wildlife. The appeals raise the issue whether federal agencies must comply with the Endangered Species Act when implementing other laws.

This special supplement provides news and information about El Niño. In a sense, the publication will serve as an El Niño Times, informing Arizona water professionals and others interested in water affairs of plans, projects and activities relating to weather affected by El Niño. The publication will concentrate on events occurring in Arizona but also will provide more general information about El Niño and its expected effects.

This year's El Niño already has fully earned its claim to fame; this is the first such event predicted so far in advance. Also, the extent to which this year's event is being studied and observed is unprecedented.

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.