BOARD01080

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

4Water in the Balance.

...

Colorado is a dry state.

Annual precipitation in Colorado a...erages only 17 inches
statewide. The majority of the state i!> considerably drier
wilh only 12-16 inches of precipitation annuall}'. llte San
Luis Valley in soulh-central Colorado is Ihe driest region.
averaging only seven inches in the cemer of the valley. In
comparison to the large majority of the area of the United
States. these precipitation totals are meager _ less than
half of the precipitation that falls over the U.S. com belt. for
example. But Colorado benefits from much higherprecipi-
tation amoUnL~ on the ranges of the Rocky !\.tountain!> that
cover the Slate from north to south. Most of the areas
above 10.000 feet in elevation a....erage more Ihan 15 inches
ofmoislure annually. with more than 50 inches in a few
isolated high-moumain locations.

farmers. for hydropo......er generation. and for rapidly
growing thirsty cities.

So far. ......e have done a fairly g\.lOlJ job meeting these
diverse demands ......hile stili delivering the water to down.
stream states a~ prescribed by interstate compacts. We
have bc.-en able to meet these demands in pan through
changes in Water management. hut also (and perhaps most
importantly) through the abundance of water availability
that we ha....e enjoyed. The la~t multi-year drought in
Colorado ended in 1978. The lasllwo decades ha....e
brought Colorado the most reliable precipitation since
before the "dust howl" drought of the 1930... When
drought returns to Colorado. as il surely wil]. it will be
challenging to see jusl how far we can stretch our water.

\\t'ith great effort. some planning. and a history of diligence
and creativity. Colorado has adapted to this dl') climate
such tbat the state successfully maintains a large agricul-
tural industry. large and growing urban population centers.
a vast and diverse recreational industry and a high quality
ofhfe for the citizens oflhe state. while sti]1 sending large
\'olumes of water to downstream states on the major rivers.

A sludy of historical dry and wet periods in Colorado was
recenlly completed by Ihe Colorado Climate Center al
Colorado State Uni\'ersity. This study. which is summa-
rized in this repon. analyzed precipitation. snowpack. and
streamnow data o....er the last 100 years or so. and provides
some impunant insights into Ihe nalUre of drought in
Colorado.

But a threat looms o\'er Colomdo and ils vibrant economy.
It is the threat that is with us nearly every year but which
often goes unnOliced or ignored. It is the threat of drought
n and the social. l"Conomic. and environmemal impacts that
come with drought.

Before we can undenaand dry. or "below nonnal". and wet.
or "above nonnal" precipitation. we need to understand
what is considered "nonnal" in Colorado. a state Ihat
experiences a wide range- of climate patterns in different
pans of the slate and at different times of the year. We also
discuss how and when water is used in Colorado. since
this gives us an
understanding of
who will tlC
impacted by
"single season"
droughts. We
consider some
implications of the
new uses of water
and new demands
forwateravailahil_
ilY that have
developed in
Colorado. Finally.
we look a!
Colorado's
drought hislory
and what thai
histol)' can tell us
about droughts in
Colorado's future.

Co]orado's population Continues to grow rapidly.
this population
growth has
occurred since the
last major slatewide
drought in ]981. In
recent decades.
there has also been
an introduction of
several newer uses
of water in the
stale. \Vafer is now
neelkd to support
populations of
endange-red
species. mountain
snow making. and
river and res(.'T'\'oir
recreationisL~ as
well as morc
traditional uses for

Much of

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