NO DOUBT - IT'S A DROUGHT

by Pam North

Droughts, an insidious hazard of nature originating from a deficiency
of precipitation over an extended period of time, have been a cyclical
part of Colorado's climate, with severe and sustained droughts occurring
approximately every 35 to 40 years, and lesser ones in between.  The
1858-1859 gold rush days were a drought period.  In the twentieth
century there were four prolonged dry spells:  one in the 1910s; another
in the 1930s (the Dust Bowl period) that affected 50,000,000 acres of land
and left farmers destitute; the worst one in the 1950s when low snowpack
and a series of hot, dry summers combined over seven years to cause the
Great Plains to suffer a severe water shortage; still another in parts
of Colorado in the 1970s (when skiers flying in on Christmas Day found
grass instead of powder, and the ski industry quickly learned the necessity
of learning to make its own snow).

Unlimited water from the tap is something we tend to take for granted,
a definite mistake on our part. A study of Colorado's history proves that 
droughts have been regular occurrences well before the twentieth century.
By studying historical documents, tree rings, lake and river beds, and
archaeological remains, researchers have found evidence of earlier droughts
of even more magnitude than the moderately severe and relatively short
ones in the last century.  There is evidence of two "megadroughts,"
one during the last quarter of the 13th century, and another during the
second half of the 16th century.  The latter was the worst and most
persistent drought in the last 1,000 to 2,000 years.  Conditions that
caused these two major droughts could easily recur in modern times, leading
to a natural disaster of unprecedented dimension in this century.  In 
addition to the history of regular cycles of ordinary droughts (and
once or twice a century for megadroughts) are two human factors which compound
the threat:  land use practices and global warming.

Colorado is experiencing a drought that began in the east in 1999 (droughts
tend to move from east to west).  Those of us who are mountain dwellers
are reminded every day of our area's dryness by the multitude of forest
fires that are a secondary effect.  It has never been a question of
if, but rather when, another water crisis would hit Colorado.  Urban
regions and many rural areas continue to grow, and along with that growth
comes more demand for municipal and industrial water.  Our vulnerability
to drought and to a water shortage increases as human population grows,
and this threat will continue to be a primary constraint and source of
conflict and controversy in the future.  Planning for drought is
essential, but obstacles exist to thwart successful water management:  
no single definition of drought applies to all regions; people take water
for granted, failing to conserve this precious resource in terms of their
daily lives; responsibility is divided among too many governmental 
jurisdictions, and the United States lacks a unified and definitive 
philosophy in managing its natural resources, including water; policies 
such as outdated water allocation practices and disaster relief may actually 
hinder effective long-term the management of natural resources.  Yet the 
course of action should be to practice risk management rather than crisis 
management in planning for drought.  While drought is a low-profile natural 
disaster, it is as costly as floods and hurricanes in its environmental and 
economic impacts, and effective planning can mitigate its effects at the 
least expense.

As individuals we need to learn to be more conservative in our uses
of water, such as designing and planting our landscaping to withstand drier 
periods, and to avoid waste in using this precious asset.  It must be kept 
foremost in our minds that we may not always have enough water.