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<br />COLORADO RIVER BASIN COORDINATION MEETING <br />Sheraton Inn, Denver, Colorado, December 18, 1979 <br />Office of Atmospheric Resources Management <br />Water and Power Resources Service <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The December 18, 1979 Colorado River Basin Program Coordination <br />Meeting was the ninth in a series of meetings held to promote <br />public participation in the long-range planning for proposed <br />precipitation management in the Basin. This meeting focused on <br />the directive from the Commissioner of Water and Power Resources <br />to prepare a special report on the research and development <br />requirements of an operational precipitation management program <br />in the Basin. Sixty representatives of water resource planning <br />and management agencies, environmental organizations, and local, <br />state, and Federal governments were invited. <br /> <br />Office of Atmospheric Resources Management staff explained the <br />historical basis of precipitation management research and <br />development as it applies to the redefined effort in the Colorado <br />River Basin, and explained the concepts being developed to respond <br />to the objective of an operational augmentation role for <br />precipitation management in the Basin: <br /> <br />1. Olin Foehner explained the context of the Commissioner's <br />request to move precipitation management technology into an <br />operational mode. The objective will be to reach an operational <br />mode at the earliest possible date without sacrificing scientific <br />proof of precipitation increases. Certain preliminary instrumenta- <br />tion, meteorological and cloud physics studies must be accomplished <br />as a first step. With positive decisions at key decision points, <br />initiation of the Basinwide Operational Phase could occur in 1989. <br />Foehner noted that cooperation from Federal and state agencies, <br />the various water management organizations, the private sector, <br />and local citizens will be important to the success of the proposal. <br /> <br />2. Patrick Hurley discussed the history of precipitation management <br />research in the Colorado River Basin. A continuing effort to <br />develop an augmentation cloud seeding program was underwritten by <br />the Congress following the 1970-75 CRBPP (Colorado River Basin <br />Pilot Project). Funds were appropriated for continued research <br />and cooperative efforts with Basin states. Since CRBPP, Project <br />Skywater has conducted and participated in numerous meetings to <br />exchange ideas and information with parties concerned with water <br />management in the Basin. In addition, the North American Inter- <br />state Weather Modification Council has been instrumental in <br />coordinating efforts and communication among scientists, local <br />