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<br />assessments as well as access to the decisionmaking process is <br />important in shaping public confidence in precipitation management <br />as a water resource management option. Readily available public <br />information on the progress of meteorological and engineering <br />planning for the project is equally important. <br /> <br />Experience in the Colorado River Basin Pilot Project and Sierra <br />Cooperative Pilot Project illustrates the value of open communica- <br />tion between project personnel and citizens committees, local <br />interest groups, and officials. These networks are key community <br />acceptance factors. These techniques will be applicable to this <br />Colorado River Basin program. <br /> <br />To succeed, information and education programs must inform the public <br />of the capability of the technology, when and how it will be applied <br />including applicable suspension criteria, potential onsite effects <br />on environmental and social components, and downstream uses and <br />effects. A strong and imaginative effort is required, including <br />production of a replacement for the two very effective, but decade-old <br />and outdated, Skywater films. <br /> <br />Le~al Considerations <br /> <br />The transition from research to operational precipitation management <br />by the Federal Government through the Water and Power Resources <br />Service program can be expected to lead to increased public interest <br />in the resolution of intertwined legal and policy questions. <br /> <br />These questions divide into four general categories: water rights, <br />general liability concerns, social costs, and regulation. Although <br />it is not possible to forecast how quickly and in which order these <br />issues will mature, we believe the social costs issue will have to <br />be addressed in the immediate to mid-term in order to secure and <br />maintain public acceptance of operational technology in the project <br />watersheds. Resolution of the other issues, while no less important, <br />appears to be of less immediate concern. <br /> <br />A reliable evaluation of how much additional snow and water can be <br />produced by cloud seeding, its timing, and locations are the <br />critical factors in the maturation of these issues. <br /> <br />Social Costs. Under a Federal operational precipitation management <br />program, a definite public demand will develop for a compensation! <br />reimbursement system for people and communities in the project areas <br />to cover actual damages, increased costs of community services, and <br />income losses resulting from increased precipitation. People in the <br />affected areas and environmental oversight groups will perceive a <br /> <br />VII-3 <br />