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<br />THE CoLoRAdo DROUG~IT MiTiGATioN ANd RESpONSE PIM; <br /> <br />State Level Actions - Administration plan for <br />mitigating the effects of long term droughts <br /> <br />Early phase <br />Solutions to any drought problem should address the <br />long-term aspect without reliance on an early end, <br />Long-term mitigation measures should be started in the <br />early stages of drought. The National Drought <br />Mitigation Center may be consulted as an excellent <br />mitigation resource. Preparing for a "worst case <br />scenario" will be useful in identifying key strategies to <br />produce enormous long-term savings, <br /> <br />Middle Phase <br />As drought conditions worsen, pressures intensify rapidly <br />in a variety of sectors and success is largely dependent on <br />lively and continuous interactions among agencies. <br />Publicity and explanations required to motivate public <br />drought response may appear to oppose other local and <br />state strategies like tourism, but careful, cooperative <br />efforts can usually overcome these problems. <br /> <br />As a general rule, state actions should be assigned to <br />existing "lead" agencies, similar to those that exist with the <br />current assessment and response organization with <br />coordination through the Interagency Coordinating Group, <br />This group is charged with developing long-term strategies <br />and recommendations for action should be strongly <br />solicited from all public and private sectors. These <br />recommendations should be formulated in terms of specific <br />projects which can be assigned to responsible agencies. <br /> <br />later Phase <br />This plan designates DNR & DoLA to take the lead in <br />the early "emergency" phase. Later, as water supplies <br />decrease and water rights trade-offs become conten- <br />tious, the DNR assumes the lead in drought manage- <br />ment. <br /> <br />Local Government Outreach and Feedback <br /> <br />State government's role is to assist local governments <br />as impacts exceed local capabilities. Therefore, it is <br />particularity important local governments respond to <br />inquiries from Impact Task Forces and coordinate their <br />own response through a local point of contact, such as <br />the existing emergency management system. <br /> <br />Appendix F identifies key contacts for outreach and <br />should be used to facilitate information exchange <br />between the local and state governments during short <br />and long term droughts. It contains points of contact <br />with regional Councils of Governments (CoGs - <br />Planning and Management Regions), Colorado Office <br />of Emergency Management, and Department of Local <br />Affairs field representatives. <br /> <br />These points of contact will be essential to alert the <br />ICG to local needs and also to serve as local points <br />of contact. If either a geographic area or political <br />subdivision of the state develops a need for day-to-day <br />coordination between a variety of programs, then local <br />governments may appoint drought coordinators to work <br />with state response agencies. <br /> <br />2.4 Sustainability Issues <br /> <br />Colorado has experienced tremendous growth in the <br />past ten years, stressing infrastructure. The impacts on <br />surface and ground water reserves remain to be seen, <br />since Colorado has experienced an overall abundance <br />of moisture during the past twenty years, When - not if <br />- the drought comes, it will likely have more severe <br />impacts as water demands increase with growth. <br /> <br />Colorado has experienced <br />tremendous growth in the <br />past ten years, stressing <br />infrastructure. <br /> <br />Water shortages <br />leading to <br />drought can <br />develop because <br />of significant <br />changes in <br />expected <br />conditions of supply and demand. Since Colorado's <br />population and water usage in key activities are <br />continuing to grow, demand for water is increasing. <br />Available supplies have also increased over the years <br />through a variety of structural (dams) and non-structural <br />(cloud seeding, conservation) means, but the state's <br />ability to create new levels of supply is marginal. In <br />recent years, demands have been increasing faster <br />than supplies, so the tolerance to deal with water <br />shortages is diminishing. As climate and conservation <br />practice fluctuate, the balance between supply and <br />demand is likely to be disrupted more frequently. <br /> <br />Local Government Planning <br /> <br />Growth management in Colorado is primarily a local <br />issue. State government's role has been to provide <br />technical assistance and guidance, and provide incen- <br />tives for regional collaboration among local govern- <br />ments. Local comprehensive planning should consider <br />environmental constraints, such as natural hazards and <br />water supply, <br /> <br />Some local governments have developed local drought <br />or water plans to address their water needs and plan for <br />shortages, The Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />encourages these plans and can provide technical <br />assistance. CWCS conducted a survey in January <br />2000 of local water and drought plans, The results of <br />this survey can be referenced in Appendix 0, <br /> <br />JANUARY 2001 <br /> <br />PAGE 21 <br />