The Arizona Groundwater Management Act (GMA) of 1980 confronts a problem that has concerned state officials since the early 1930s: the overdraft of Arizona's groundwater resources. The GMA was not the first legislative effort in Arizona to control groundwater use. Advised that a groundwater law was a prerequisite to authorization of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), the state Legislature enacted the Critical Groundwater Code in 1948.

The continued funding of the Central Arizona Project depended upon Arizona implementing water conservation measures in several critical areas in the state. Water consumption patterns in these Active Management Areas (AMAs) will be guided between 1980 and 2025 by a series of five management plans to be developed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR).

That water, so common, essential and basic, should be a cornmodity to be bought and sold, marketed and transferred, may seem odd. Yet social and economic conditions in Arizona, and throughout the West, have evolved in such a way that water transfers appear as an attractive option to some and a controversial issue to others

The changing of the Earth's climate, which is a topic of increasing concern, is a cornplex issue. Much more than a meteorological phenomenon, climate is a force that helps define our social environment, as well as our relationship to the natural world. Therefore, the effects of climate change -- whether parts of the earth are becoming wetter or drier, or hotter or colder -- would be broad and profound.

Washes and arroyos cut or carve patterns into desert surfaces and are as much a natural form of the Arizona landscape as serrated mountains. Meandering over much of the desert, their crevices help make up the texture and shape of desert lands. Indeed, even in developed and urbanized desert areas, washes and arroyos often remain a conspicuous feature, a natural remnant within the urban fabric.

Because Arizona's small water systems are of lesser size than major water companies, they should not therefore be viewed as relatively simple, uncomplicated operations. Despite a smaller scale - or rather because of it - such systems confront complex situations. These can be extremely difficult to resolve at times, complicating operations and even threatening the existence of some small water systems in the state.

Someone who is described as the "salt of the earth" is considered to be a goodly person. Salt with earth in this case connotes an unaffected beneficence. Salt with water however has less favorable implications in certain parts of the United States, especially in Arizona and the West. Salt combined with water produces saline water and poses water quality problems in the region.

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.