BOARD0215 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 5/20/2002
• Description: OWCDP Section - Emergency Drought Responce
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORI\DO

EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS

136 State Capitol
Denver, Colorado 80203-1792
Phone [phone]

April 22, 2002

Bill Owens
Governor

Mr. Brad Lundahl, Chair
Colorado W ater Availability Task Force
1313 Sherman Street, #721
Denver, CO 80203

Dear Mr. Lundahl and Task Force 'Members:

lam writing to you in advance of your April 24 Water Availability Task Force (W ATF)
meeting to express my deep concern regarding Colorado's current drought conditions. I
believe that immediate and decisive action by the task Force and the agencies
represented by the Task Force membership can help mitigate some of the water shortages
we will no doubt face.

I have long recognized the impacts that drought can have on agriculture, natural
resources, energy, tourism, public health, and the state economy. In response to these
concerns, I organized the Governor's Flood and Drought Conference in 1999 to bring the
state's experts together to review and assess Colorado's ability to prepare and respond to
these natural disasters. A result was to pursue a short-term and long-term strategy to
address planning, management, and infrastructure.

The original plan for Colorado's response to drought was developed in 1981. One of the
recommendations of the Floed and Drought Conference was to update the state's drought
response plan. At my direction, the plan was updated in January 2001 to better reflect the
current drought cycle and Colorado's need to prepare and respond to drought. This plan
identifies key actions to be taken by various governmental agencies in response to current
drought conditions.

In addition, the conference identified the need to address the long-term implications of
drought in Colorado. To that end, the Colorado Water Conservation Board has funded a
Drought and Water Supply Assessment to identify the short-term planning and long-term
infrastructure needs of all water providers in the state.

Within the context of the State Drought Response Plan, the W ATF is a forum to address
. drought issues on an ongoing basis. Its role is to advise me on actions that should be
taken related to the monitoring, assessment, response, and mitigation of drought in
Colorado. As a result of current conditions, I am asking the W ATF to do the following: