DURANGO | Colorado’s drought plan is coming up for review, with officials trying to create a blueprint this year to deal with parched land in all 64 counties.
The problem this year is mildest on the Front Range and worst on the southeastern plains, which are in the throes of the worst category, an exceptional drought.
A draft report recommends better coordination and cooperation between state agencies, better monitoring of climate conditions and responses to emergencies when crops and pastures are being lost, water restrictions are needed and the governor is asked to issue an emergency declaration.
The Colorado Water Conservation Board updates its drought plan every three years and another revision is due this fall.
Colorado was just the third state in the country to come up with a statewide drought plan. Former Gov. Richard Lamm requested it be written, in response to dry years in the late 1970s. The state kept the plan, even though the next two decades were wetter than average.
The last decade, however, has been a much different story. Eight of the last 11 years have been drier than usual, including 2002, which ranked as the driest year in Colorado’s recorded history, the Durango Herald reported Monday (https://tinyurl.com/mhaw2vm ).
According to the draft report, the multi-year drought in 2011-2013 has scraped away vegetation across the state’s Eastern Plains. The report said the exposed soil, combined with heavy winds, created dust storms similar to those of the devastating 1930’s Dust Bowl.
The report said many ranchers sold their herds because grasses had gone dormant or died, and hay was expensive and in short supply.
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Online:
Drought Mitigation and Response Plan: https://tinyurl.com/q9q9b3k
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Information from: Durango Herald, https://www.durangoherald.com