The Analysis and Technical Update to the Colorado Water Plan (Technical Update) provides technical data and information regarding Colorado's water resources. The technical data and information generated are intended to help inform decision making and planning regarding water resources at a statewide or basin wide planning level. The Colorado Water Conservation Board intends for the Technical Update to help promote and facilitate a better understanding of water supply and demand considerations within the State.
This project was undertaken to adapt the Palmer Index model to Colorado. The state was divided into 25 climatic region rather than 5. Comparisons with the original indexes show noticeable differences and considerable small scale detail which previously could not be resolved. With the new small regions it is now reasonable to use contour analysis of Palmer Index values to visually describe local variations in drought severity across Colorado.