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<br />History of Plan Activations
<br />
<br />
<br />Portions of the Drought Response Plan have been activated
<br />since its initial development.
<br />
<br />
<br />As conditions worsened,
<br />
<br />Much activity was stimulated in the state's drought
<br />response system during this time period. This included an
<br />increase in funding for drought preparedness activities
<br />and other mitigation efforts, including public information
<br />brochures and an update of the Drought Response Plan,
<br />
<br />~a ' In response to extremely arid
<br />" '1-." conditions, the Governor activated,
<br />l , by memoradum on August 1, several
<br />Task Forces to assess impacts: Agriculture-
<br />blowing soils, Wildlife, Wildfire, Commerce-Tourism,
<br />and Review and Reporting. Significant impacts
<br />reported included an increase in wildfires statewide,
<br />loss to the winter wheat crops, difficulties with
<br />livestock feeding, and impacts to the state's fisheries,
<br />
<br />~ July 29, the Governor issued an
<br />" ""U Executive Order (0000996) pro-
<br />~ , ....-. claiming a Drought Disaster Emer-
<br />gency Declaration, Fifteen counties were
<br />included in a request for USDA assistance. The
<br />Directive activated the Water Availability, Argriculture,
<br />Wildfire, Tourism, Municipal Water, and Review and
<br />Reporting Task Forces to review task force responsi-
<br />bilities under the plan, monitor the situation, and
<br />evaluate impacts to potable water supplies in the
<br />southwest and northwest portions of the state, The
<br />State Drought Review and Reporting Task Force
<br />provided a Drought Status Report to the Governor's
<br />Office, The situation called for continued monitoring
<br />by the Water Availability Task Force. Fall and winter
<br />precipitation alleviated concerns,
<br />
<br />2000 - A Close Call
<br />
<br />Water year 2000 (October 1999 - September 2000) was
<br />influenced by a strong La Nina condition that led to the
<br />majority of months to be below average in precipitation
<br />and above average in temperature, The Water Avail-
<br />ability Task Force met monthly to monitor the situation
<br />as the statewide snowpack started out well below
<br />average but recovered to near average with March
<br />precipitation, A windy and warm April/May quickly
<br />melted the snowpack, leading to low stream flows. By
<br />June, drought conditions were beginning to affect most
<br />of the state. Most dry were the northeastern plains, the
<br />Rio Grande, and San Juan/Dolores basins. Wildfire
<br />conditions were extreme, contributing to several fires
<br />statewide including the damaging Bobcat and Hi
<br />Meadows fires, Agriculture was suffering not only from
<br />the dry conditions, but also due to a late freeze in May,
<br />Dryland farming and ranching took the worst hit.
<br />Irrigated crops benefitted from surplus reservoir stor-
<br />age, but agricultural reservoirs were drawn down
<br />significantly during the summer, leaving many depen-
<br />dent on at least an average snowpack in the upcoming
<br />winter to refill reservoirs, Municipal reservoir storage
<br />remained sufficient, but some six communities that
<br />relied on stream flows enforced water conservation
<br />measures. Pinewood Springs in Larimer County had to
<br />haul water to meet the needs of its residents,
<br />
<br />In June, the Drought Task Force recommended activa-
<br />tion of the Wildfire and Agriculture Task Forces of the
<br />Colorado Drought Response Plan, Governor Owens
<br />encouraged stepping up the State's drought prepared-
<br />ness efforts as an alternative to activating the plan.
<br />
<br />The Colorado Department of Agriculture and the
<br />Governors office pursued aid for farmers and ranchers
<br />through federal drought relief programs from the U.S.
<br />Department of Agriculture and the Small Business
<br />Administration, As of October 20, 2000, seventeen
<br />Colorado counties and twenty-nine contiguous counties
<br />were eligible for assistance as a result of a USDA
<br />Secretarial Disaster Designation (see map and list of
<br />declared counties on the following pages), Pacific
<br />equatorial sea surface temperatures returned to
<br />average by September, and a retum of more normal
<br />weather patterns, with average precipitation and below
<br />average temperatures, followed into December 2000.
<br />
<br />Drought Declarations and the 2000 Situation
<br />There are three different types of federal disaster
<br />declarations that apply to drought: Presidential Disaster
<br />Declarations, Secretarial Disaster Designations from
<br />the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),
<br />and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administra-
<br />tive Declarations,
<br />
<br />JANUARY 2001
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<br />PAGE 7
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