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<br />litE COlORAdo ORouG~n MiTiGATioN ANd IhspONS[ Pb.. <br /> <br />1.0 - The Colorado Situation <br /> <br />1.1 Purpose <br /> <br />The purpose of the plan is to provide an effective <br />and systematic means for the State of Colorado to <br />reduce the impacts of water shortages over the <br />short-term or long-term. <br /> <br />1.2 The Nature of Drought in Colorado <br /> <br />Drought is an ambiguous hazard that defies a universal <br />definition. Typically, drought is a shortage of water <br />associated with a deficiency of precipitation. However, <br />water shortages can also be induced by humans. <br />Perhaps it is easier to think of drought as being a <br />function of supply versus demand. Drought occurs <br />when a normal amount of moisture is not available to <br />satisfy an area's usual water-consuming activities. <br /> <br />Drought is a frequent visitor to our semiarid state. Annual <br />average precipitation in Colorado is near seventeen <br />inches and yet varies from approximately seven inches in <br />the San Luis Valley to over fifty inches in small areas of the <br />higher mountains in the southern and northern parts of the <br />state (McKee, Doesken and Kleist, 1999), Due to the <br />natural variations in climate and precipitation sources, it is <br />rare for all of Colorado to be deficient in moisture at the <br />same time. However, single season droughts over some <br />portion of the state are quite common (McKee, Doesken <br />and Kleist, 1999), <br /> <br />1.3 The Problem with Drought <br /> <br />There are several obvious problems with drought, but the <br />initial one is recognizing it. Drying trends tend to be <br />associated with "good" weather. The irony is that too <br />much "good" weather can wreak havoc on the environ- <br />ment, create serious water shortages, and delay or stop <br />business and industry, When droughts occur, the state is <br />impacted with a variety of ambiguous and complex <br />problems, which, if identified and evaluated, can be dealt <br />with in a well-organized and cost-efficient way, The most <br />significant impacts which typically confront the state are <br />related to such water intensive activities as: agriculture, <br />wildfire protection, municipal usage, commerce, tourism, <br />recreation, and wildlife preservation. A reduction of <br />electric power generation and water quality deterioration <br />are also potential problems. Appendix C contains a <br />checklist of the multitude of drought impacts on the <br />economy, environment, and society. <br /> <br />1.4 A Brief History of Drought <br /> <br />Several times throughout this century Colorado has <br />experienced conditions of drought. The most dramatic <br />drought periods occurred in the 1930s and 1950s, <br />when many states, Colorado included, were affected <br />for several years at a time. With the understanding <br />that conditions throughout the state vary widely, <br />Figure 1,1 shows five multi-year droughts experienced <br />in Colorado since 1893, <br /> <br />Figure 1.1 Colorado's Historical Dry and Wet Periods <br /> <br /> <br />Source: McKee, Doesken and Kleist, 1999 <br /> <br />JANUARY 2001 <br /> <br />3 <br />17 <br /> <br />PAGE ~ <br /> <br />