The impact of global environmental change on resource-dependent communities raises concerns about their vulnerability and ability to cope. In semiarid ecosystems, water is a resource that faces unprecedented changes due to societal and environmental alterations. For example, social-ecological changes in Colorado – rapid population growth, increased irrigation demands, and increasing drought frequency and severity – have led decision-makers to realize water management strategies that have worked in the past need to be updated for current use. Water providers in the region are a class of managers which serve as a link between the physical system and end users by enacting water management decisions that make sure there is enough water to meet demands. A 2013 study by State agencies revealed that water providers felt that they were better prepared to deal with drought in 2012 than in 2002 (although they were similar droughts), suggesting that actions taken as a result of the 2002 drought increased the adaptive capacity of many water providers. However, results were aggregated by basin, so differences in their ability to cope with droughts were not fully investigated. This study provides a more detailed analysis of the different adaptive strategies among water providers and evaluates differences in ways that adaptive capacity was realized among these groups. The study utilized a set of document reviews, surveys, and interviews to gather data for the analysis. The analysis included the variance in the perceived adaptive capacity of water providers; an evaluation of drought management strategies, and an analysis of the realized usage of adaptive capacity of the various providers. In addition, a qualitative comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate factors determining drought management decisions and enhancement and utilization of adaptive capacities among the different providers.
Results/Conclusions
Results reveal that a number of different approaches are used by water providers to ensure there is adequate supply to meet demand during droughts. The presence of any form of drought planning was most strongly associated with perceived adaptive capacity but only large water providers, serving users in densely populated areas have the resources to develop formalized drought plans. This analysis provides a useful understanding of how well water providers can deal with drought and internal and external factors that act as barriers or opportunities for future adaptation. The results will allow state and local water management agencies to direct resources to develop more robust drought planning in the future.