WSP10863

• File Number: 8210.470
• Description: Pacific Southwest Interagency Committee
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 9/14/1983
• Author: PSIAC
• Title: Minutes of the 83-1 Meeting - September 14-15 1983
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Co~~ittee
Task Com.~ittee
on Augmentation of Colorado River

On May 19, 1983, the Task Committee on Auqmentation of
the Colorado River met in the office of the Division of
Atmospheric Resources Research, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
Denver, Colo~ado. A list of those in attendance is attached
to this report. The agenda for this meeting is also attached.
Highlights of the items that came up at the meeting are re-
ported in the following paragraphs.

Weather Modification Activities
in Wilderness Areas

Vernon Valantine briefed the' committee on the prior
discussion of this issue by the committee, and its conclusion
that the Bureau of Reclamation ,(USBR), and the Forest Service
(USFS) should seek to resolve the issue by ad~inistrative
means.

Milton Robinson, on behalf of the USFS, presented a
report on coordination of the CREST/wilderness issues, a
copy of which is attached hereto. The report states that the
USER has furnished some information about the CREST program
to the USFS, but there is not yet a specific enouqh proposal
from the USBR on which the USFS can act. Futher, there has
not yet been a meeting between the heads of the two agencies.
Thus, until something further occurs, the regional offices
of the USFS are instructed to keep the existing policy in
operation.

In addition to the presentation in the written report,
Robinson, assisted by Pete Stender, indicated that this is
a difficult issue for the USFS in that there is a difference
of opinion on the issue within the USFS. The watershed
people would like looser standards, while the wilderness
people would like the status quo or even more restrictive
standards on the use (or non-use) of wilderness areas.
Further, it appears that it would practically take a
Presidential Order to get the wilderness standards relaxed
for the CREST Program.

Lew Moore, USBR WaShington Office, reported that the
USBR had forwarded a draft executive order to the office of
Management and Budget (OMB) that would provide for access
to wilderness areas for weather modification activities.
OMB returned the executive order as it thought it would be
premature and suggested that the USBR seek other administrative
means to accomplish the same goals. Subsequently, USSR
prepared a letter that would go from the Secretary of Interior
to the Secretary of Agriculture, but, for some reason this

C-28

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