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<br />Drought Mitigation Subcommittee <br /> <br />Drought Mitigation Activities <br /> <br />Water Conservation <br /> <br />There were several major ongoing water conservation <br />activities in 1992: <br /> <br />o The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) <br />issued fourteen (14) grants out of sixty-three (63) <br />proposals for water conservation projects totaling <br />over $1.2 million. During 1993, an additional <br />$300,000 will be available for new water conser- <br />vation projects. <br /> <br />o CWCB created the Water Conservation Data <br />Base / Library for use by local government offi- <br />cials, private companies, and others seeking infor- <br />mation about water conservation. <br /> <br />o The Denver Metro Area was host to several nu:rjor <br />private and publk water conservation activities. <br /> <br />o Water Conservation Fairs were held by several <br />schools. <br /> <br />o The u.s. Bureau of Reclamation created the new <br />OffWe of Water Conservation and a regional (Den- <br />ver) Water Conservation Center. <br /> <br />o Drought Mitigation Subcommittee members and <br />the Colorado Office of Emergency Management <br />were instrumental in the rerrwval of a wood shin- <br />gle pile near Tiny Town whkh presented a wild- <br />fire threat. The pile was an accumulation of <br />debris (wood shake shingles) from the 1990 Den- <br />ver-area hail storm. <br /> <br />o The Subcommittee provided technical assistance <br />to contractors working on the Denver Interna- <br />tional Airport to mitigate a blowing soils problem. <br /> <br />Publications <br /> <br />o California has published several new publications <br />on their drought experience which may prove in- <br />teresting for Colorado. <br /> <br />o The American Water Works Association's (AWWA; <br />Drought Management Planning handbook is <br />also available from AWWA The handbook pre- <br />sents step-by-step guidelines for preparing a <br />drought management plan, including obtaining <br />publk input, defining response goals, assessing <br />water supply and demand, defining drought indi- <br />cators, and identifying drought mitigation meas- <br /> <br />ures. Plan implementation is covered with special <br />emphasis on public information and education <br />strategies. <br /> <br />[J The Colorado Office of Emergency Management <br />has developed two publications, About Drought <br />and the ColoraOO Drought Response Plan, <br />that are available for distribution. <br /> <br />Water Resources <br /> <br />o New appointments have been made to key water <br />management/policy positions within the Colorado <br />Department of Natural Resources (DNR). A new <br />water philosophy is emerging whkh is based on <br />an integrated-coordinated water strategy for Colo- <br />rado. <br /> <br />o DNR has created a Water Use Data Base (Arkan- <br />sas River and Colorado River Basins). <br /> <br />o The Denver Water Board's western slope reservoir <br />project will provide an assured water supply for <br />ski area snow-making activities. <br /> <br />o The establishment of the Colorado Water Re- <br />sources Research Institute. <br /> <br />[J Drought contingency activities with the U.S. Bu- <br />reau of Reclamation are underway. <br /> <br />Future Activities of the Drought <br />Mitigation SubcommiUee <br /> <br />The Drought Mitigation Subcommittee is compiling a <br />mitigation project listing for 1993 and beyond. Several <br />ofthese projects will be based on lessons learned from <br />other states. <br /> <br />The State Climatologist is working on a project to <br />functionally define drought and to create drought fore- <br />casting tools. A review of the impact of the National <br />Weather Service (NWS) modernization program on <br />the cooperative weather observer program (which is a <br />critical ingredient to drought monitoring) is also being <br />conducted. <br /> <br />18 <br />