BOARD00149 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 3/12/2007
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River - Weather Modification Cooperative Agreement Issues
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

.

.

.

program from the Colorado Legislature into the Construction Fund, and the Legislature has
determined that the CWCB may accept funds from other entities (CRS 37-60-121).

C. Guiding Principles

1. States in the Upper Colorado River Basin have a variety of existing operational and
experimental weather modification programs within the Colorado River Basin. These programs
are funded, operated, and regulated at the state and local level.

2. Appropriately designed winter season orographic weather modification programs may
increase winter snowpack in the Colorado River Basin. Increases in snowpack may increase
water supply within the entire Colorado River System by increasing precipitation and runoff.

3. All Colorado River Basin States benefit from any increase of water supply in the Colorado
River System. Any increase in runoff is additional Colorado River System water benefiting the
Colorado River System as a whole.

4. Detailed efforts to quantify the effectiveness of weather modification may be appropriate to
conduct. However, activities funded through this Agreement will not include analyses linking
specific cloud seeding measures to flow in the Colorado River or its tributaries.

5. Economic benefits can be derived for the people of Colorado from weather modification.
Operations, research, experimentation, and development in the field of weather modification
shall therefore be encouraged. In order to minimize possible adverse effects, weather
modification activities shall be carried on with proper safeguards, and accurate information
concerning such activities shall be made available for purposes of regulation (C.R.S. 36-20-102).

6. The CWCB reviews specific proposals for orographic cloud-seeding and issues permits when
such projects meet specified criteria, including lack of substantial harm to the environment or to
other water users (C.R.S. 36-20-112).

7. Notwithstanding these safeguards, there may be risks arising from cloud seeding that are
outside the current state of scientific knowledge. The Parties agree they will consult to assess
any such impacts that might arise. In addition, the Parties will consider funding of measures to
address such effects should they materialize.

8. It is not the intent of the Parties to claim a right to any increase in water resulting from
weather modification programs funded herein. Any water resulting from these programs is
Colorado River System water and shall not be claimed specifically by any Party.

9. Although the primary use of the funds collected pursuant to this Agreement is for increasing
the water supply of the Colorado River System, nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to
prevent the CWCB from expending Funds in future years as identified in future Exhibits, in other
basins besides the Colorado River Basin.

3