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Upper Gunnison

Basin Drought Contingency Plan

Agency

Workshop

October 15, 2024

1-3 pm

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Meeting Outcomes

Engage agency stakeholders in developing potential mitigation strategies and response actions for the Drought Contingency Plan (DCP).

Participate in a motivating discussion that positions the UGRWCD’s water users to effectively respond to and manage drought conditions into the future.

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Today’s Agenda

Welcome and Introductions (10 minutes)
Background on Drought Contingency Plan, Define Response and Mitigation Actions (10 minutes)
Review and Refine Goals (Break-Out Groups, 20 minutes)
Action Overview and Discussion (Break-Out Groups, 50 minutes)
Set the Stage to Prioritize Actions (25 minutes)
Wrap Up and Next Steps (5 minutes)

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Agreements

Zoom meeting expectations

Recording/public access
Skillfully mute/unmute
Use chat only for links
Videos on

Be respectful (of each other, time)
Listen to understand
Be clear and concise
Be open minded
Respect decision-making structure
Take care of your own needs

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Planning Process Purpose

How will we recognize the next drought in the early stages?
How will drought affect us?
How can we protect ourselves for the next drought?

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What is a Drought Contingency Plan?

Proactive approach for non-federal partners to prepare for and respond to drought
Funded through Bureau of Reclamation’s Drought Response Program

For our process, we are following the framework as provided by BOR

Drought Contingency Plan addresses:

How will we recognize the next drought in the early stages?
How will drought affect us?
How can we protect ourselves from the next drought?

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What is a Drought Contingency Plan?

Must include consideration of climate change impacts to water supplies to support long-term resiliency.
Enables drought planning and resiliency projects to be eligible for future funding opportunities.

These projects are known as Mitigation and Response Actions in the plan.

A collaborative planning approach used to build long-term resilience to drought.

The stakeholder process addresses agricultural, municipal, recreational, and environmental issues while developing broad support for Mitigation and Response Actions.

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Drought Contingency Plan Six Required Elements

Drought Monitoring: Establish a process for monitoring drought, and a framework for predicting the probability of future droughts or confirming an existing drought.
Vulnerability Assessment: Identify Potential drought related risks to critical resources within the planning and environmental fields and will evaluate the risks to critical resources within the planning area and the factors contributing to those risks.
Mitigation Actions: Identify, evaluate, and prioritize drought actions and activities that will build long-term resilience to drought, mitigate the risks posed by drought, decrease sector vulnerabilities, and reduce the need for response actions.

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Drought Contingency Plan Six Required Elements

Response Actions: Identify, evaluate, prioritize response actions and activities in coordination with Task Force members, that can be quickly triggered during specific stages of drought and implemented to address and decrease the severity of impacts of an emerging or ongoing drought.
Operational and Administrative Framework: Develop a framework to identify who is responsible for undertaking the actions necessary to implement each element of the DCP, including communicating with the public about DCP developments and updates.
Plan Development and Plan Update Process: The approach taken to develop the DCP will be documented including how stakeholders were engaged and how input was considered, along with schedule for monitoring, evaluating and updating DCP.

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Drought Contingency Planning Process

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Meeting Schedule

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What goals are most important to you?
What concepts might be missing from the goals?
Are there any goals that you don’t think should be listed?
Will these goals set the stage for an actionable drought plan?

Refining Goals - Questions to Consider:

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Goals to Advance Drought Resilience

Ensure the Drought Contingency Plan is actionable.
Protect and enhance the community’s built and natural water infrastructure.
Preserve diverse community values such as safe/quality drinking water, thriving agriculture/ranching, ecosystem health, and a strong recreational economy.
Be proactive and prepare for the future.
Use data to inform decision making.
Advance a collaborative approach to share responsibility, leverage resources, and connect with similar initiatives.
Be creative to look for win-win and multi-benefit actions and solutions.
Respect the hydrologic, ecological, and cultural differences in each subbasin.
Promote a shared and consistent message.
Inspire community action and a shared responsibility through education.

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What makes the Upper Gunnison community vulnerable to drought?
WHY does drought impact your community?

Climate change and variable climate

Location in watershed

Limited water supply

Municipal - singular sources & increasing costs

Lack of understanding of the water system, between users

Ecological pressures and degradation

Diversity of users rely on water

Agricultural practices maxed out - less efficient

Recreation reliance on flows, concentrated uses

Out of basin pressures

Lenient and informal water administration

Social/health reliance on/influenced by access to nature/outdoor resources

Agricultural infrastructure degraded

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Actions Defined

Mitigation Actions:

Identify, evaluate, and prioritize drought actions and activities that will build long-term resilience to drought, mitigate the risks posed by drought, decrease sector vulnerabilities, and reduce the need for response actions.
These are the long-term actions that water users, stakeholders, and the public implement to protect themselves from drought and drought impacts. They take place regardless of drought conditions.

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Actions Defined

Response Actions:

Identify, evaluate, and prioritize response actions and activities in coordination with Task Force members, that can be quickly triggered during specific stages of drought and implemented to address and decrease the severity of impacts of an emerging or ongoing drought.
These are taken only in response to a stage of drought to take immediate protection measures and are temporary actions in nature.

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Questions to Consider:

What actions are most important for increasing drought resilience for public land/resource management?
Of these, what actions are you or others already working on?

Potential Actions

A. Introduction

1. Scope and purpose of the Drought Contingency Plan

2. Planning area

3. Background, including a brief description of how the Drought Contingency Plan will build on any existing or ongoing efforts or plans

B. Planning Approach

1. Detailed budget and schedule for developing the plan. Be sure to account for how the plan’s entire funding will be used, including all contracting, consulting, in kind contributions, etc.

2. Narrative description of the plan for completing each of the six required elements of the plan, including the approach, steps, methodologies, specific tasks, and individuals responsible for conducting those tasks

3. Planning oversight structure

4. Decision making process

5. Roles and responsibilities of Recipient and the Task Force, including individual Task Force members

6. Coordination between Recipient, the Task Force, and interested stakeholders

C. Documentation and Reporting – this section of the Work Plan will identify the specific tasks and milestones to meet the reporting requirement of this Agreement.

1. Identify deliverables and documentation requirements

2. Reporting requirements and individuals responsible for reporting

3. Review Process, i.e., how the draft plan or plan update will be reviewed

D. Communication and Outreach Plan

1. Explanation of how stakeholders and the public will be involved in the planning process, including providing input on the drafting of the Drought Contingency Plan and providing feedback to the Task Force. Participation could occur through public meetings, webinars, public notices, and other forums or approaches.

2. Schedule describing when information about the planning process will be communicated to the public and other stakeholders, and when they can provide input and feedback.

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Who could champion the actions that are not currently being pursued?
What are the chances of the actions' success/impact toward mitigating drought?
What barriers exist to implementing the action?
Are there opportunities to partner across water sectors to implement the action?

For New Actions: Refine Action Details

A. Introduction

1. Scope and purpose of the Drought Contingency Plan

2. Planning area

3. Background, including a brief description of how the Drought Contingency Plan will build on any existing or ongoing efforts or plans

B. Planning Approach

1. Detailed budget and schedule for developing the plan. Be sure to account for how the plan’s entire funding will be used, including all contracting, consulting, in kind contributions, etc.

2. Narrative description of the plan for completing each of the six required elements of the plan, including the approach, steps, methodologies, specific tasks, and individuals responsible for conducting those tasks

3. Planning oversight structure

4. Decision making process

5. Roles and responsibilities of Recipient and the Task Force, including individual Task Force members

6. Coordination between Recipient, the Task Force, and interested stakeholders

C. Documentation and Reporting – this section of the Work Plan will identify the specific tasks and milestones to meet the reporting requirement of this Agreement.

1. Identify deliverables and documentation requirements

2. Reporting requirements and individuals responsible for reporting

3. Review Process, i.e., how the draft plan or plan update will be reviewed

D. Communication and Outreach Plan

1. Explanation of how stakeholders and the public will be involved in the planning process, including providing input on the drafting of the Drought Contingency Plan and providing feedback to the Task Force. Participation could occur through public meetings, webinars, public notices, and other forums or approaches.

2. Schedule describing when information about the planning process will be communicated to the public and other stakeholders, and when they can provide input and feedback.

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What criteria do you recommend to help prioritize these actions?

Prioritize Potential Actions

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Drought Messaging Survey

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Wrap Up

Meeting Schedule

Recreation Workshop - 9-11 am, Oct. 16

Zoom

Agricultural Workshop - 5-7 pm, Oct. 22

Upper Gunnison District Office

Task Force Meeting - 9-11 am, Oct. 23

Crested Butte Town Council Chambers

Stay Engaged

Visit the District’s website to learn more!
https://ugrwcd.org/drought-contingency-planning/

Carrie Padgett, P.E.

Harris Water Engineering, Inc.

carrie@durangowater.com

(970) 259-5322

Stacy Beaugh, Facilitator

Strategic By Nature, Inc.

stacy@bestrategicbynature.com

(630) 854-5129