Colorado has begun planning for a multiagency drought task force to help cope with what most experts fear will be a summer seriously low on water and high on wildfire risk. The task force will include agencies focused on water, agriculture and emergency management, among others, according to Emily Adrid, water planning and climate impact specialist at the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Her comments came at a meeting of the state’s Water Monitoring Committee this week.
The last time such a task force was called into action was in the 2020-21 drought, according to the board. If needed, the task force can work with ad hoc groups and the governor’s office to coordinate release of state emergency funds. The news comes as Colorado continues to struggle with a deeply dry and warm winter and forecasts showing the trend continuing this spring.
Colorado measures its water supplies using a calendar that runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, a period known as the water year.
