WSP04710

• File Number: 8056
• Description: Drought Preparedness
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 6/1/1997
• Author: Donald Wilhite
• Title: Improving Drought Management in the West
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Improving Drought Management ;n the West: The Role of Mjrigation and Preparedness

In the study referred to above (Wilhite, 1993a), the survey instrument
purposely did not define the term "mitigation." States were given flexibility to
define mitigation by including actions or activities that they felt were
appropriate. However, the definition given above was used to help
understand and cluster the actions and activities reported by States.
Mitigation activities identified by States and/or local municipalities during
recent droughts were diverse, reflecting regional differences in impacts, legal
and institutional constraints, and institutional arrangements associated with
drought plans. The diversity in responses was also related to the wide range
of State agencies with principal authority for drought planning and
mitigation (e.g., agriculture, natural resources, water resources, emergency or
disaster management).

State mitigation actions used to address issues during recent droughts are
clustered into nine primary areas in table 1. These actions represent a full
range of possible mitigative actions, from monitoring and assessment
programs to the development of drought contingency plans, Some of the
actions included were adopted by many States, while others may have been
adopted only in a single case. It is clear, however, that the existence of a
drought contingency plan facilitated the timely adoption and implementation
of many of these mitigation actions.

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Assessment programs adopted by States range from developing improved
criteria or triggers for the initiation of specific actions in response to drought
to establishing new data collection networks. Automated networks such as
those that exist in Nebraska, California, and Oklahoma have significantly
improved the State's monitoring capability, One of the three critical
components of a drought plan is a comprehensive early warning system.
Parameters that must be monitored to detect the early onset of drought
include temperature and precipitation, streamflow, reservoir and
groundwater levels, snowpack, and soil moisture. Each of these parameters
represents different components of the hydrologic system and, therefore,
impact sectors (e.g., agriculture, energy, transportation, recreation and
tourism). To assess emerging drought conditions, these data must be

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