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<br />.. <br /> <br />~. . <br /> <br />":,tl-- <br /> <br />areas in the Upper Colorado Ba~in. This system is cxpcctedt(j hav~ an average <br />annual direct cost of $5.4 million for all of the porential target areas in the <br />Upper Basin. <br />l~ postulated s.ystcln_ is not expected to be made obspkte rapidly by <br />tcc'E.mlogical dc~pmeuts. Major changes are not expected in grountl-basl:<;l <br />Cloud seeding equipment in the near future but rather in the control and moni- <br />toring of cloud seeding operations. A major improvement in l11etcorologic<\1 <br />information important t(l cloud seeding will be. provided by the. introduction <br />of improved weather and earth resourc(~s satellites. <br />As WOSA technology would be applied at the present time to the: Upper <br />Colorado River Basin, the most probable long.term average increase in sn~ <br />fnll at clevations....above R,(){}n "f.~l't l~o'yld he realized is ill the ran~ of 20 <br />to 2$ percent. Th~cl:.enses are produced mainly by changing hours in whidl <br />1iW~ iiD.U.WfalLwould have occurred into periods of significant snowfall. 1n- <br />l:rcase.s in snowfall were eSlimatcdby using historkal data obtained from the <br />U.S. Geological Survey and the Nati9n~L1 W~::ltber Service along with current <br />understanding of the physical phenomena associated with cloud seeding. These <br />estimates were verified. for Uiree locations in the Basin based on a winter oro- <br />graphic cloud seeding model developed by Colorado State University and daily <br />precipitation and upper air data for nine winter seasons beginning in 1951. <br />The e~matcd ~tver.ageJncrease.ilLl2rccipitation wies fu:m~ <br />sOl'@.ern--l,-~rt [)f,-;-he Rasin r.... 1 '\ J1crccnt i.nJ!Je nartherJUillp eastern IMget <br />al"~as. Applying th~e factors and the appropriate factors for converting cumu- <br />lative precipitation to streamflow to each part of the Basin,.it was found that an <br />augmented snow melt runoff of about 2.3 million acre feet could be produced <br />inn normal year. This.~otild varJL.fwm.:ahouU..l Maf in a low water Qr dry <br />ye!lf~ 3.6 ~f in a hi~h .water or wet year,. Since the effects of the WOSA <br />system would not be confined to the Upper Basin, O~ M"tsoulrl <br />b(f eXl'ected in years (;on~ere..d. to Q.roduce low, llormat.Jl1ll1 high ~mlLlJmts <br />of~off from the WOSA Erecipitation that faUs outside the Ba~. (This <br />out-of-basin component could be increased by a change in system design.) <br />The corresponding normal yeardjrect cost per acre-foot is $2.37 forin-b~tSin <br />runoff and $ L58 for tofal runoff, The direct cost for producin.@ \VOSA water <br />iUess than that f.QUillX-.other mactical means for producing or bringmg ~ <br />water into the Basin. It is.. also less than the cost of most meanS proQQsed tOI" <br />reducin,l! water losses. <br /> <br />il <br />II <br />il <br />1 <br /> <br />" <br />Ii <br />II <br />I <br /> <br />3. Envir(mml1/1laJ Impacts <br /> <br />a.Physicallmpacts <br /> <br />The seeding of winter orographic clouds under ideal conditions is not <br />expected to cause any significant atmospheric effects other than increased pre- <br />cipitation. Under nonideal conditions, it may actually reduce the precipitatiQn. <br />Since.J!1e prinHI"~ource of l)1oisturc QYl,>:f the plains tQ the e~Lill.J.he. <br />Colo.radoRiYe.(,Basin i::i Wa(lll air Ir(}(n rlu> (julf af Mellio the 1l1lgmentatioJl <br />-- <br /> <br />! <br />t <br /> <br />xii <br />