Mohave County Local Drought Impact Group

Drought Impact Report Form

 

2010 Summary from Mohave County

Introduction. This report summarizes the Local Drought Impact Group activities conducted in
Mohave County in 2010. Quarterly LDIG meetings were held in January, April, July, and October.
Drought Status reports and informational presentations were provided at the meetings by various
agencies and groups, including the Bureau of Land Management, the Las Vegas National Weather
Service Office, the University of Arizona, Arizona Department of Water Resources, Mohave County
Flood Control, local ranchers, and others. The Monitoring Workgroup worked throughout the year
to revise the Drought Impact report form into a standard version for all monitors and improve the
Drought Monitor reporting system. It was apparent early in the year that the U.S. Drought Monitor
was not accurately tracking drought impacts in the county, and despite the fact that Mohave was
one of the Arizona counties to receive a 2009 drought emergency declaration, local ranchers were
not eligible for U.S.D.A. drought relief loans. Subsequent discussions with ADWR, Arizona
DroughtWatch, and the U.S. Drought Monitor resulted in impact reporting improvements and
enhanced communication and coordination between the U.S. Drought Monitor, the state, and the
county. A monthly impact reporting procedure was formalized through the Mohave County
Emergency Management office, and the LDIG identified geographical gaps in the monitoring
network and recruited individuals to fill many of those gaps.

Status of Drought. Drought conditions continued in the county throughout the year, although
conditions were not as severe as during the last four months of 2009. Comparisons of 2010
precipitation amounts in various areas of the county from the county Alert Flood Warning System
records indicate that most areas have received rainfall amounts comparable to the 2008 amounts,
rather than those of 2009. The exceptions are the Lake Havasu City, Truxton, and Wikieup areas,
which have experienced rainfall similar to the very dry 2009 amounts. Unusual October storms
have produced precipitation providing temporary drought relief after a light and spotty monsoon
season.

Drought Impacts. Water tanks and washes in the Arizona Strip area were reported dry through
the end of September, with some ranchers hauling water and up to 40% forage loss reported.
October storms in the western part of the Strip have put water in some previously dry reservoirs.
However, in the part of the county north of the Cerbat and Black Mountains, including the Strip, the
October rains have helped increase forage but are probably not putting enough water into tanks
and reservoirs to alleviate long-term concerns for livestock and wildlife. In the southern part of the
county south of the Cerbat and Black Mountains, drought impacts continue in those areas such as
Lake Havasu City that experienced several months without rain in late 2009 and early 2010. With a
relatively dry winter being projected, any relief from the October rainfall will likely be short-lived.
Lake Mead’s water elevation is currently the lowest in 75 years and only 8 feet above the level
which will trigger incremental rationing for Colorado River water users, although the Bureau of
Reclamation plans to utilize Lake Powell releases to generate higher water levels at Lake Mead in
the next year.

Drought Related Actions. Currently, none of the cities have implemented any of their drought
plan stages. The cities, BLM offices, Arizona Game and Fish, and other agencies continue to
provide drought impact reports and in some cases precipitation gauge reports, as do many
ranchers and residents, In October, the LDIG initiated discussion on the establishment of a
Mitigation Working Group and countywide Mitigation Plan. Efforts to date have been focused
exclusively on establishing and building the Monitoring Workgroup and network, which will be
maintained and expanded as work commences on mitigation planning.

2008-2010 Meeting Minutes

October 20, 2010

July 21, 2010

March 22, 2010

February 3, 2010

July 15, 2009

April 15, 2009

January 14, 2009

October 15, 2008

July 9, 2008

See Mohave County LDIG webpage for additional meeting information.