Draft drought mitigation plan presented to the Firestone trustees

The Firestone Board of Trustees was presented with a draft Drought Mitigation Plan at its May 9 meeting. Should the Town of Firestone’s water supply ever decrease below the 110 percent of demand, the Board is considering that this plan be put into place.

Steve Nguyen, president of Clear Water Solutions, which prepared the plan, said, “I commend the Town of Firestone for being proactive and completing a drought plan prior to the next drought.” He further added that Firestone will be the first to complete a state-approved plan.

Nguyen highlighted key aspects of the plan, while also clarifying that drought plans focus on short-term mitigation actions, and water conservation plans focus on long-term demands. As part of the planning process, Town staff developed a list of water-use priorities, which guided the development of the plan. Nguyen also touched upon the drought stages, which are defined by the demand levels. For instance, in the case of 110 percent water supply, the Town suggestion voluntary watering restrictions between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. When water levels would dip below 100 and 90 percent, restrictions would deepen further.

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Town Manager Wesley LaVanchy said, “It’s a very proactive plan. It can certainly provide a lot of guidance, should we need to down this route in an actual drought.”

Public comment on the plan begins May 16, 2012, the day of the public notice, for the next 60 days. After that time, suggestions will be reviewed and the plan adjusted before the Board of Trustees formally adopts the plan. The plan will then make its way to the Colorado Water Conservation Board for review.

The Town of Firestone received a Colorado Water Conservation Board grant to develop a drought mitigation and response plan. Drought planning is an important objective for the Town to ensure critical water supply needs are met when supplies are diminished. The CWCB grant covered all but $2,000 of the cost of preparing the plan, which the Town contributed.