Montezuma County Commissioners Monday morning agreed to suspend the fire ban that had been in place since June 9 after Sheriff Dennis Spruell told them that was the recommendation of fire chiefs and Paul Hollar, emergency manager for Montezuma County.
The ban was lifted after more than 1.3 inches of rain fell in the area in July.
Some spots are dry, but wet enough in some areas, Spruell said.
Commissioner Gerald Koppenhafer said he favors suspending the ban, not rescinding it in case it needs to be reinstated.
On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service also lifted all fire restrictions in southwestern Colorado. The areas for lower elevations, known as Zone 1 in Montezuma, Dolores, La Plata and Archuleta counties, are now lifted. Previously, restrictions had been lifted in higher-elevation Zone 2 areas.
Spruell said the amount of rain that had fallen in July changed things.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Jim Pringle said the city of Cortez through Monday afternoon had received 1.26 inches of rain, while last year for the entire month only .73 inches of rain fell in the city.
Mesa Verde, he said, received 2.15 inches of rain in July, which is an increase of .54 of an inch of rain that fell in July 2011.
Pringle said the numbers at the Cortez Regional Airport show that Cortez this July received 1.66 of an inch of rain, while .54 of an inch fell in this month last year.
Pringle said the increases could grow because there was a 30 percent chance of showers for both Monday night and Tuesday.
Pringle also said this years weather pattern with June being extremely dry and July receiving a fair amount of rain is not that uncommon because of the monsoons.
He added that the monsoons usually begin in the middle of July, but this year the storms arrived July 4.
While the July rain has suspended the fire ban, it has not helped the agriculture industry too much, said Tom Hooten, director of the Montezuma County Extension Office.
It is better than nothing, he said. I looked at the drought monitor last Thursday, and most of the county is (suffering) from an extreme drought.
He said Sundays storm that dumped nearly a half of an inch of rain was helpful, but prefers storms that brings in moisture over time.
We are not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot, he said.
Hollar said the fire ban being suspended will allow residents to do control burns within reason with a few stipulations.
He said residents still need to call in to dispatch to inform them as well to make sure there are no red flag warnings.
Cortez Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Vandevoorde echoed Hollars comments, and said his department will follow whatever the county decides because the ban had been implemented county wide.
We are going back to the way it was, he said, including allowing control burning on non red flag days if there is an available water source and a shovel.
Watch the wind conditions, and make sure it is not a red flag day, he said.
michaelm@cortezjournal.com
