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Colorado Drought Hazard known to occur and recur with devastating economic consequences, not only for agriculture, but for the en- tire Colorado economy. Several periods of drought have occurred during the past 100 years. Following a wet cycle in the 1870s which first fueled farmer optimism in Colorado, the drought of 1889- 1890 hit, causing general crop failures. Wetter years of 1891-1892 allowed farmers to recoup some of their losses. However, this resurgence was short lived, as 1894 brought a drought which coincided with a na- tional depression. Many Coloradans were forced to abandon their farms and leave the area. Eastern Colorado witnessed a de- crease in population by as much as 40 percent, and much of the land was turned over to grazing. During 1930-1937, the next severe period of drought occurred in the midst of the already debilitating great depression of the Thirties. The combination of low rainfall, low spring runoff from mountain snowpack, and swirling winds brought about the dust storms which swept across the land, literally blowing away much of northeastern Colorado's agricultural liveli- hood. The consecutive drought years of 1930-1937 resulted in a total deficit of 540,000 acre-feet of water in the Colorado Poudre Basin alone. Losses to agriculture and the Colorado economy were devastating. For many farmers already struggling through the Depres- sion, the drought was the last straw. Scores abandoned their farms and left the area. As much as 44 percent of the total planted or established crop acreage was abandoned. One third of all the farms in Larimer County were put up for sale, and the population and number of farms decreased by 15 per- cent in eastern Colorado. Drought visited Colorado again during 1976-1977, due to the 48 percent of normal precipitation that fell on the West Slope. The spring runoff was only 50 percent of normal, with many streams and creeks drying up completely later in the summer. Colorado's economy shared the effects of this drought. The lack of snow meant fewer skiers. The industry sold 2.3 million fewer tickets resulting in a $78 million loss. The ski- ing industry's troubles were a prelude to Colorado's water supply problems. Municipal supplies suffered, forcing many cities to institute restrictive water use practices, such as restrictions on lawn watering. Agri- culture was hit hard, and it could have been worse ex- cept for the supplemental water supplies from irrigation projects. During the winter of 1980, the severe snow drought and low snowpack in Colorado resulted in widespread loss of business. A loss of several million dollars in revenues was reported as well as the closure of many small businesses. Although the summer precipitation was near or above average across most of Colorado, it did not offset the low stream flows resulting from the snow drought. Agriculture in the southeast corner of the state suffered tremendously. Additional impacts of less severity included loss of fish at fish hatcheries and indirect impacts on some older water systems. During 1988, the nation was suffering from the worst drought in 50 years. Drought conditions also impacted the extreme western part of Colorado. However, stream flows and reservoir storage, while below nor- mal, supplied adequate water supplies for the state's residents, urban areas, and farms and ranches. Farm- ers were under siege in the Midwest, where livestock water supplies were critically low and pastures and crops failed to recover from the drought. In Colorado the story was different. Eastern Colorado enjoyed av- erage to above average rainfall during the summer. The demand for crops and cattle drove up their prices, enabling eastern Colorado farmers to profit from the situation. The drought of 1989 in Colorado was the culmination of two factors: c Several areas of the state had suffered two or three years in a row of less than normal precipita- tion, especiaUy in the northwestern portion at the state. c In the southeastern portion of the state, the pre- cipitation did not come at the crucial time when winter wheat crops were just beginning to grow. The 1989 drought affected agriculture, livestock, peo- ple, and the environment in Colorado. Twenty Colo- rado counties declared drought disasters due to loss of winter wheat and hay for cattle. Several municipal 14