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<br />OOOSD~ <br /> <br />!;t~orts to increas<' thp <br />ColoraJ(; Ri vp.r-l-S-~~n-~~i="-ra\..(' <br />QC2t._.::()1 ve(l _ the - shc'f~a:'l-~__proiJle'1 <br /> <br />~'-":ater salvFl~c and con:;ervation Jlroqral1s can only delFlY, <br />not prevent, Wi'lter shnrti'lCjes fron occllt.rinq in the Colorado <br />Rivl,;r Hasin. l\uqnentinq the flo", of the river sel'ns to he <br />the best Ilethod of a'"oidin') the predicted short"qe. Howevl'r, <br />r:esults ha.ve not been VR'L~ !,ror1i.sinq. <br /> <br />r'1ethoc1s available to aLlqnent the ',}ater supply incluck <br />w~atl)er TlocJification, veqettltion nanaa~nent, rlesaltinq <br />qeothenlal brines and seil \-later, anr] inportation of \later <br />fror-, other river hasins. HO\Jever, only prelini!lary invps- <br />tiqations of these tr,chniques ha'ie beer. nade--they qenerallv <br />have not been proven. F:nvironnpntal, socicll, ooliticAl, or <br />legal constraints "ill have to he ovel'cone for each of these <br />techniqLles. The costs of obtaining "ater fron these sources <br />are estinated to range fron $2 to over $1500 an acre-foot, <br />derending on the technique used. <br /> <br />Weather noditication has potenti"l <br />bLlt has not been proven <br /> <br />Althouoh the outcone of existin'l weather nodification <br />rrojects is not clear, thl' BureaLl and NAtional \'ie"ther <br />~'lodifications Advisory Boan] [,eliI've thpre is stronq <br />evidence that precipitation in the basin can hI' incrr>ased <br />siqnificantlv. ':hl' Rureau'" Pl.oqran has sho"", that the <br />process of cloud seeding is uore cor1rlex than originally <br />thought, but the Bureau belil'ves it is still technically <br />and econonically feasible. They estinate that strean flow <br />in the basin COllIn he incl-easerl by about 1.6 naf annually, <br />at a cost of aboLlt $3 an acre-foot. <br /> <br />Vegetation nana~e!1ent cOLl~~save <br />1.5 naf a year <br /> <br />prelininary estinates I)y the U.S. Forest Service <br />Extension at Arizona State University indicate that the <br />\-later yield can he augmented hy 1.5 naf a year through <br />vegetation nanagenent. This technique involves changing <br />harvest patterns in conner:cial fr)rests to pernit incrcased <br />snowpacks and thereby increase "ater runoff and streanflow. <br />The procedure is estil1ate(l to cost fron $2 to over $50 per <br />acre-foot, depenCling on location, and has not heen proven <br />on a large scale. <br /> <br />21 <br />