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<br />
<br />Colorado is in the midst of a record-breaking drought Stream flows
<br />across the state are at all-time lows and reservoir levels are falling
<br />fast Water restrictions are popping up in every community as
<br />lawns and trees are turning brown. While surface water comprises
<br />the major portion of Colorado's water supply, ground water cannot be
<br />overlooked for its role in times of drought, particularly as it can be uti-
<br />lized to supplement surface-water supplies.
<br />First, it is important to understand what drought is and how it plays
<br />into the delicate balance of supply and demand. It is also important to
<br />understand ground water and how it interacts with surface water. More-
<br />over, there is the legal framework within which water rights are adminis-
<br />tered that has to allocate this periodically scarce resource.
<br />Drought is a shortage of water that begins as meteorological drought,
<br />where precipitation falls below "normal" for an extended period of time.
<br />It can then extend to agricultural drought, where soil moisture levels
<br />drop to the point where vegetation is stressed, reducing biomass and
<br />yield. Hydrological drought develops when there is reduced streamflow,
<br />reduced inflow to reservoirs, lakes and ponds, and reduced recharge to
<br />ground water. This can ultimately lead to socioeconomic drought when
<br />demands exceed supply, negatively impacting human activity. Ground
<br />water resources can be called on to mitigate the progression of precipita-
<br />tion shortfalls to socioeconomic drought Timing is a key factor in the pro-
<br />gression of drought and in the management of ground water resources to
<br />alleviate the impact of drought
<br />In our day to day activities, we have many uses for water, from indi-
<br />vidual domestic uses to industrial and agricultural uses. These uses create
<br />demand patterns that are highly variable over the course of 12 months.
<br />
<br />
<br />The South Platte river in Littleton has been reduced to a small stream during
<br />the drought of 2002.
<br />
<br />Colorado Geologicol Survey ROCKTALKVol. 5, No. .4
<br />
<br />...
<br />
<br />State of Colorado
<br />Bill Owens, Governor
<br />
<br />Department of Natural Resources
<br />Greg Walcher, Director
<br />
<br />!
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />Division of Minerals and Geology
<br />Ron Caltany, Director
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />COLORADO
<br />GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
<br />
<br />Vicki Cowart, Director
<br />and State Geologist
<br />
<br />James A. Cappa, Mineral Resources
<br />
<br />Vince Matthews,
<br />Senior Science Advisor
<br />
<br />David C. Noe, Engineering Geology
<br />
<br />Randal C. Phillips, GIS and
<br />Technical Services
<br />
<br />Patricia Young, Administration
<br />and Outreach
<br />
<br />Matt Sares, Environmental Geology
<br />
<br />Knox Williams, Colorado Avalanche
<br />Infonnation Center
<br />
<br />Administration and Outreach
<br />Betty Fox, Brenda Hannu,
<br />Melissa Ingrisano, Dori Vigil
<br />
<br />Avalanche Information Center
<br />Dale Atkins, Nick Logan, Scott Toepfer
<br />
<br />Mapping, Outreach, and
<br />Earthquakes
<br />John Keller, Bob Kirkham,
<br />Matt Morgan, Beth Widmann
<br />
<br />Engineering Geology and
<br />Land Use
<br />Karen Berry, Jill Carlson, Sean Gaffney,
<br />Celia Greenman, Jim Soule,
<br />T.e. Wait, Jon White
<br />
<br />Environmental Geology
<br />Peter Harkmann, David Bird, Ralf Topper,
<br />Bob Wood
<br />
<br />GIS and Technical Services
<br />Cheryl Brchan, Karen Morgan,
<br />Larry Scott, Jason YVilson
<br />
<br />Mineral Fuels
<br />Chris Carroll
<br />
<br />Minerals
<br />John Keller. Beth Widmann
<br />
<br />7
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