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't .. .~ . . . Colorado Drought & Water Supply Assessment Colorado Water Conservation Board Talking Points Key Messages This is the first project conducted by the state of Colorado to determine whether the state has enough water to meet its existing and future needs. The CWCB will utilize the Assessment as an opportunity to highlight its statewide focus and reinforce its leadership position on water issues- how to plan and mitigate the impacts of drought. You Can't Manage What You Don't Measure Although the CWCB does not regulate nor control water, its role of finance and advocacy drives responsibility for conserving, developing, protecting and managing Colorado's water for present and future generations. Therefore, the success of this Assessment, especially as Colorado operates under severe drought conditions, takes on sweeping significance. The CWCB has no preconceived outcomes for the Assessment. The onus rests with individuals, businesses and organizations throughout the state that store and transport water to provide information about their water supply needs. The primary goal for collecting this information is to initiate the opportunity to analyze and summarize the data, which will in turn provide justification for initiatives that drive future resource allocation, a direct benefit to areas susceptible to drought. Participation Strategies To reach the appropriate group of Assessment participants, the Assessment team will develop a target list from a variety of water suppliers that include local governments, municipal water suppliers, domestic water suppliers, ditch and reservoir companies, inigation districts, water conservation districts, water conservancy districts, special interest groups, pri vate entities and special districts. The Assessment will focus on obtaining a representative sample from suppliers with direct water rights (many of these suppliers will represent agricultural suppliers) and suppliers with storage capacity (many of these suppliers will be municipalities). Geographic location is key, for that reason there will be representation from each of the seven major river basins. The Assessment will connect with the agricultural and municipalities that provide the majority of the water to the users in the state. Evaluative checkpoints will be used throughout the data collection process to ensure that the targeted list is participating in and completing the Assessment. For example, Assessment administrators will be monitoring Assessment response. If suppliers from a specific geographic region have a lower response rate then the tactics and tools used to reach this group will be changed and modified during the course of the data collection period. 5/10/2002 lof 3