{"id":98,"date":"2026-05-11T10:02:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T10:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98"},"modified":"2026-05-11T10:02:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T10:02:56","slug":"colorados-drought-task-force-ramps-up-response-to-record-breaking-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98","title":{"rendered":"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Officials on Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force are working to identify local drought impacts and vulnerabilities as the group kicks into gear for the first time since 2020 in response to deep drought conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Are funeral pyres legal in Colorado?<\/a><\/p>\n

Gov. Jared Polis activated the task force March 16 in the midst of a record-smashing heat wave that ended up triggering rapid melting from the state\u2019s already-low snowpack. The group is flagging issues to watch, like wildfire risk, water shortages for farmers and ranchers, and the ability of small communities to find replacement water if their other supplies aren\u2019t available.<\/p>\n

\u201cColorado ag water users are used to preparing for drought and adjusting accordingly,\u201d said Tracy Kosloff, deputy director of the Colorado Division of Water Resources. \u201cThey know that this is our system and they have to adjust. It doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The task force\u2019s main goal is to help reduce the impacts of water shortages on Coloradans, according to the state\u2019s drought response plan. Its members include officials from water-focused state agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Department of Local Affairs and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.<\/p>\n

Parts of Colorado have been in some level of drought for almost all of the last 25 years, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The task force was previously launched in April 2002, May 2011, May 2018 and June 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The officials collect water supply information, identify needs, guide response resources, help local governments and coordinate between jurisdictions and agencies. organized working groups, coordinated drought tours, and developed engagement and resource web pages.<\/p>\n

This year, they\u2019re closely tracking changing conditions in the U.S. Drought Monitor, which can influence disaster declarations. These declarations unlock relief programs and resources that Coloradans could need this year, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an incredibly important part of our statewide response and making sure that we use every tool at our disposal to help every community across the state in need in this really difficult time,\u201d Polis told the task force at the April meeting.<\/p>\n

Dashed hopes for a miracle May<\/h2>\n

The recent rain and snow dropped some much-needed moisture on parts of Colorado, but it won\u2019t last, Russ Schumacher, Colorado\u2019s state climatologist, told the task force members Thursday.<\/p>\n

Early May storms brought 2 feet of snow to some higher elevations and up to 2 inches of precipitation to parts of the Eastern Plains and north-central Colorado, like Estes Park and the foothills of Larimer and Boulder counties. The snowfall will boost soil moisture and bump up streamflows, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving this big storm the last couple days in much of the state maybe gets our hopes up for a \u2018miracle May,\u2019\u201d Schumacher said. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t, unfortunately, look like that is what is going to come about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recent storms also bolstered the snowpack slightly: It\u2019s no longer the record low \u2014 but just slightly above. The state\u2019s snowpack is at 26% of median, up from 18%-20% in late April and early May.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s, I guess, cause for some very minor celebration, but is, of course, still way below average,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Drought conditions are mostly worsening in Colorado. About 96% of the state was experiencing some level of drought, while 18% of the state was in exceptional drought, the most severe category, as of May 5.<\/p>\n

The recent precipitation could have provided relief to some areas. This week\u2019s update to the U.S. Drought Monitor will provide a clearer picture, Schumacher said.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for wildfires?<\/h2>\n

Fire agencies are saying it\u2019s going to be a busy year. The state usually records about 3,000 to 4,000 fires annually. Already, Colorado has seen around 170 fires this year, said Paul Duarte with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

May is forecast to be close to normal, which means around 20 to 25 fires that have potential to \u201cdo something really bad,\u201d he said. Regions of Colorado, like the Western Slope, will start to dry out in June and July, raising the wildfire risk.<\/p>\n

Freezing temperatures during the recent storms might have killed some budding plant life. Those freezes could have left prime fire fuel behind, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Nearly half of Coloradans experiencing food insecurity don\u2019t qualify for SNAP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe could actually be in worse shape after the moisture than we were before the moisture,\u201d Duarte said.<\/p>\n

When Colorado\u2019s landscapes dry out, fires can burn bigger with larger flames and move faster. But the heat can also reach deeper into the soil, harming or killing root systems and causing long-term landscape damage, Duarte said.<\/p>\n

The dry conditions also raise the question of how much water is available to fight fire.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t take some water from these (reservoirs) that are already depleted to fight a fire, are we going to have a much larger landscape issue?\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kosloff of the Department of Natural Resources, which manages the state\u2019s water, said they\u2019ve always been able to work with water users, like farmers and ranchers, to shift water supplies to handle emergencies, like wildfires.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat shouldn\u2019t be a limitation on our fighting fires,\u201d she said. \u201cAn emergency is always something we have been able to work out with water users.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drastic cuts and a scramble for replacement water<\/h2>\n

Agricultural water users are working with very low water supplies this year, Kosloff said.<\/p>\n

Farmers, ranchers and other water users are already being cut off. Under Colorado water law, people with older \u201csenior\u201d water rights get water first in dry years, while more recent \u201cjunior\u201d rights are first to be cut off. Many of the oldest water rights date back to the late 1800s, when the system was established.<\/p>\n

In the Arkansas River Basin, which spans southeastern Colorado, the state had to cut off water rights dating back to 1874 because of the drought conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen that since August of 2002,\u201d Kosloff said. \u201c(And) 2002, many of us know, was a drought year.\u201d<\/p>\n

People in the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District, which covers thousands of wells in parts of the Front Range and northeastern Colorado, are at 50% or less of their normal allocations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In southwestern Colorado, farmers and ranchers who receive water from McPhee Reservoir are at about 13% of their normal water supply.<\/p>\n

Some communities relying on small water systems \u2014 like small towns and homeowners associations \u2014 rely in part on water rights that have been, or could be, shut off this summer. They might struggle to find or provide enough replacement water, she said.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in the forecast?<\/h2>\n

Looking ahead, the next two weeks will return to warmer and drier weather, Schumacher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The amount of water flowing through streams and rivers is going to be below normal. Rivers in Colorado will likely hover between 25% and 40% of average during the usual peak runoff season.<\/p>\n

An active monsoon season is in the forecast for late summer. The monsoon storms will likely kick into gear in July, August and September, especially for southern and western Colorado, Schumacher said. And then there\u2019s the issue of thunderstorms, which carry the risk of lightning and hail.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hail can ruin crops, and lightning is a frequent cause of wildfires.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA wetter monsoon season does come with more lightning, but also if you have the cloudier days, higher humidity, that\u2019s a good thing,\u201d Schumacher said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to see, that\u2019s still a ways off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Bill allowing Coloradans to sue ICE agents heads to Polis\u2019 desk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Officials are working to identify local drought impacts and vulnerabilities as the group kicks into gear for the first time since 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-water"],"yoast_head":"\nColorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions - Colorado Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions - Colorado Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Officials are working to identify local drought impacts and vulnerabilities as the group kicks into gear for the first time since 2020.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colorado Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-11T10:02:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1495\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/144e01590ba7a61cfe6fd08a0fa7a482\"},\"headline\":\"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-11T10:02:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98\"},\"wordCount\":1266,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Water\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98\",\"name\":\"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions - Colorado Relocation Report\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-11T10:02:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/144e01590ba7a61cfe6fd08a0fa7a482\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp\",\"width\":2500,\"height\":1495},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=98#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Colorado Relocation Report\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/144e01590ba7a61cfe6fd08a0fa7a482\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradorelocationreport.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions - Colorado Relocation Report","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions - Colorado Relocation Report","og_description":"Officials are working to identify local drought impacts and vulnerabilities as the group kicks into gear for the first time since 2020.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98","og_site_name":"Colorado Relocation Report","article_published_time":"2026-05-11T10:02:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2500,"height":1495,"url":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/144e01590ba7a61cfe6fd08a0fa7a482"},"headline":"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions","datePublished":"2026-05-11T10:02:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98"},"wordCount":1266,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp","articleSection":["Water"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98","url":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98","name":"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions - Colorado Relocation Report","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-11T10:02:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/144e01590ba7a61cfe6fd08a0fa7a482"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/35ac4b7a243adfe320171fdf79f4db3c.webp","width":2500,"height":1495},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=98#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/","name":"Colorado Relocation Report","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/144e01590ba7a61cfe6fd08a0fa7a482","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com"],"url":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/97"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=98"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}