BOARD01080

• Board Meeting Date: 1/27/2004
• Description: WSP Section - Native Species Trust Fund, Recommendations for FY 2004-05
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

';Water in the Balance';

Open Letter on Drought in Colorado

Dear Reader:

Over 20 years ago, the severe winter drought of 1976-77 sent shock waves through Colorado's
economy and state government. Bare ski slopes, empty reservoirs, and drifts of topsoil left
many ofus in government feeling helpless and ill prepared. At that time, Governor Richard
Lamm convened a special council of experts who assessed the crisis and proposed ideas for
lessening the impacts on recreation-based industries and agriculture.

The greatest frustration expressed by decision makers then was the lack of timely and integrated
information from which to make plans and base actions. How severe and how widespread were
the drought conditions? Who was affected and what were the current and ernerging impacts?
The state needed better information.

The crisis motivated actions, but by 1978 heavy snows and spring rains were falling again. ~ is
often the case, when the immediate crisis passed, proposed actions were tabled. Then came the
winter of 1980-81 with another round of severe snow shortages. Governor Lamm, who was still
in office, brought back many of the same experts. Within a matter of months the .Colorado
Drought Response Plan" was approved and implemented. While it is arguable that this plan
could immediately reduce drought impacts, what the plan did accomplish was to identify drought
as a major natural hazard in Colorado and to establish clear mechanisms for monitoring drought
conditions and impacts, and communicate Water supply and drought impact information to
decision makers. Colorado was one of the first states to institutionalize drought monitoring and
response, and has been very active ever since in promoting research and encouraging drought
mitigation efforts.

This report describes some of the new techniques for drought monitoring that have been
developed in Colorado, and presents results of drought studies which have been supported by the
Colorado Office of Emergency Management, the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute
and the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station.

Since the .Colorado Drought Response Plan" was implemented in 1981, Colorado has enjoyed
the longest period free from widespread multi-year droughts since before the 1930s "Dustbowl."
Yes, we now have better information about drought and improved data on the frequency and
severity of droughts from the past. But with the very generous precipitation for the period 1982-
1999, are we ready and able to deal with drought and its consequences?

Please take the time to read this report. At the very least, I hope this will remind us all how real
the threat of drought is here in Colorado so that we can be better prepared when the next drought
threatens.

~IY'~

AO~Dllector
Colorado Office of Emergency Management.

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