WMOD00305 ‎(2)‎

• Title: Demonstrating Water Augmentation by Cloud Seeding in the Colorado River Basin
• Date: 5/1/1974
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

VI. POTENTIAL BENEFITS - LONG RANGE AND IMMEDIATE

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

There have been three well-documented studies estimating

:'.,....

the annual water augmentation potential for seeding in the

(.I.

entire Colorado River Basin:

October 1967 - Bureau of Reclamation

- 1,870,000 a.f. 1/

May 1972
May 1973

- Stanford Research Insitute - 2,300,000 a.f. 2/

- North American Weather

- 1,315,000 a.f. 3/

Consultants

The Stanford Research Institute study estimated 1,200,000

acre-feet would also be produced outside or "downwind" of

the Colorado Basin by seeding within the Basin. The North

American Weather Consultants study estimated that 903,000

acre-feet of the potential results from the orographic

microphysical modification effect of seeding and 412,000

acre-feet from convective modification effects. The Nort.h

l/ Hurley, P. A., "Augmenting Colorado River by Weather
Modification" Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division,
ASCE, Vol. 94, No. IR4, Proc. Paper 627l. December 1968
(Note: presented 10-l8-67).

...

y Weisbecker, L. W., "Technology Assessment of Winter
Orographic Snowpack Augmentation in the Upper Colorado River
Basin" Final Report, National Science Foundation Contract.
NSF-C641, Stanford Research Institue, Menlo Park, California,
May 1972.

I~"

3/ "Twelve Basin Investigation: Analysis of Potential
Increases in Precipitation and Streamflow Resulting from
Modifications of Cold Orographic Clouds in Selected Rive:!:"
Basins of the Western United States" Final Report No. 15'-18,
Vol. I, Contract No. 14-06-D-7368, North American Weather
Consultants, Goleta, California, May 1973.

37