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<br />- <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />II <br />I <br />I <br />,I <br />I <br />II <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />encompass southwestern Gunnison County and parts of Saguache County and Hinsdale <br />County in central Colorado (the upper Gunnison River watershed). With the new <br />programs, approximately 25-30 percent of Colorado's snowfields are now in target areas <br />for cloud seeding programs. The CWCB weather modification permit program website is <br />http://www.cwcb.state.co.us/WeatherModification/Permit.htm <br /> <br />1.2 Denver Water Department Cloud Seeding Program <br /> <br />Western Weather Consultants, LLC began an operational cloud seeding program for the <br />Vail Ski Area during the winter of 1976-77. The Opportunity Recognition Criteria were <br />developed from research findings derived from the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado <br />River Basin Pilot Project (CRBPP) data. The Vail Cloud Seeding Program has operated <br />each winter for three to five-month periods for 26 continuous winter seasons. Two <br />different ten-year (1986-1995) sets of precipitation data (Snotel and Ski Area <br />Precipitation Data) from the Vail Seeding Program indicate similar patterns and amounts <br />of precipitation increases in the seeded area compared to non-seeded precipitation data <br />from similar sites within 50 miles of the Vail Program. Both sets of the precipitation data <br />analysis closely replicated the seeding expectations indicated from the CRBPP research <br />results utilizing the new Opportunity Recognition Criteria. <br /> <br />The Denver Water Department (DWD), upon hearing of these findings and determining <br />Vail's operational confidence in their Cloud Seeding Program, requested Western <br />Weather Consultants, LLC to expand the Vail Seeding Program to the east and southeast <br />to include the watersheds providing runoffwater directly and through diversions <br />programs to DWD. A network of 38 new cloud-nuclei generator sites and 5 seeding <br />generator sites from the Vail Program provided seeding coverage for the Blue, Williams <br />Fork and Fraser River Basins north and west of the Continental Divide and the Upper <br />South Platte River Basin to the east of the Continental Divide. Figure 2 shows the target <br />areas for operational cloud seeding programs in the central Colorado Rockies during the <br />2002-2003 winter season. This figure shows the DWD, VaillBeaver Creek, and Upper <br />Arkansas WCD programs. <br /> <br />By starting and expanding the seeding activity over the western edge of the DWD <br />drainage basins utilizing the Vail generator network and systematically adding more <br />cloud nuclei to the weather system over the DWD basins, the weather systems appear to <br />experience dynamic growth and an improved precipitation capacity as they move over the <br />downwind basins. This seeding methodology is confirmed by the observed expected <br />increases within the direct seeded areas and smaller precipitation increases immediately <br />downwind (5 to 30 miles) of the direct seeding regions. This seeding methodology will <br />continue for the DWD Seeding Program scheduled for the 2003-2004 winter season. <br /> <br />II-6 <br />