ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a state perspective on drought and explains how one state, Colorado, has learned to use climatic data and monitoring tools to create and use various drought indexes to track water supplies and then trigger actions—all for the purpose of guiding mitigation and response activities. There are many drought-related indices, each targeting specific types of information. Some provide information on one discrete variable, such as reservoir storage levels or snowpack on a certain date. Monitoring drought, establishing triggers, and developing a response and mitigation plan requires involvement and collaboration from several different areas of expertise. The State of Colorado has incorporated quantitative trigger points that guide the activation of the staged drought response plan. These trigger points were developed by analyzing observed climate data and overlaying that information with past impacts. In Colorado, the Governor's Water Availability Task Force remains active regardless of drought conditions, as this is the group responsible for continuous monitoring.
