Gov. Jared Polis declared a statewide drought emergency on Thursday and activated phase three of Colorado's drought response plan, the highest level in the state system. The move could free up additional state funding as officials try to blunt the impact of record-low snowpack and prolonged warm temperatures.
It is a step Colorado has been moving toward for weeks. The Colorado Drought Task Force and the Water Conditions Monitoring Committee recommended the declaration on Monday, after snowpack peaked in early March about a month earlier than usual and at its lowest level since 1987. By Tuesday, about 93% of the state was in some level of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a scale that now stretches from the ranchlands of the southwest to Front Range cities worried about summer supplies.
Under phase three, the state can step up efforts to track drought impacts and reallocate resources. Polis also has the option to seek a presidential disaster declaration if Colorado does not have enough resources to deal with the damage. Lauren Ris said the state has been preparing all season for changing drought conditions and called the declaration an important step to keep Colorado coordinated and responsive as impacts intensify.
The numbers behind the emergency are already hitting people far from the Capitol. Since March, farmers and ranchers have been tightening their belts after a record-breaking heat wave melted most of the snowpack early, and some are expecting to receive only half their normal water supply. The Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch in southwestern Colorado said it will have less than 14% of its usual supply. A flash drought in southeastern Colorado also fed wildfire conditions that led to the Sharpe fire, while ski resorts felt the pain in the winter and rafting outfitters are warning about low flows during peak season this summer.
Water managers are dealing with the same squeeze. Front Range utilities, including Denver Water, have already imposed summer watering restrictions and are pushing conservation efforts for about 1.5 million residents in the Denver area. Denver Water chief Greg Fisher said customers can help by using their faucet one minute less per day, which he said works out to about 2 million gallons a day in the utility's system. He said it adds up even when the change feels small, though some customers are only gradually adjusting their habits.
The declaration comes as nearly all of Colorado's counties face drought and the state's annual snowmelt begins feeding rivers that run in all directions, supplying nearly 20 downstream states and parts of Mexico. Utah declared a drought emergency in late May, underscoring how quickly the dry stretch has spread across the region. For Colorado, Thursday's move is not just a signal of concern. It is the point where the state starts using its strongest drought tools, while leaving open the bigger question of how far those tools will reach if conditions keep worsening.
