Dr. Jay Lehr provided an entertaining evening discussion on "The State of the Environment and the Environmental Professional in 1997." Because of his 40 plus years in the groundwater industry, Jay has a unique perspective on the overall "health" and prosperity of the groundwater industry. He felt that the "boom and bust" cycle of environmental hydrogeology has been completed and the manpower level of industry professionals is beginning to stabilize. The industry peaked in about 1990 and 1991. He iterated that the environmental awareness of the public that was piqued and supported by environmental legislation will not disappear. The shift of the environmental work will be toward free enterprise and marketing in a capitalisitic country. For instance, the employer of the groundwater professional is beginning to change from traditional engineering firms to financial institutions (i.e., banks, loan companies, and insurance companies). However, there will always be employment in private engineering companies. Large multi-disciplined engineering companies have been downsizing; whereas small, efficient, and cost effective "niche" companies are continuing to thrive. Because of the extensive and long-term experience US engineers and geologists obtained in the last 20 years, opportunities abound in overseas work. The US is the leader of the world in environmental cleanup. Most countries are from five to thirty years behind the US.