WMOD00305 ‎(2)‎

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

2. Municipal, industrial, and agricultural. - Including
uses on the Central Arizona Project and new developments
such as a possible oil shale industry in the Basin.

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3. Salinity and Water Quality. - Especially with con-

siderations of environmental improvement and Mexican

Water Treaty needs.

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Although much remains to be studied on ,the use and value
of water beyond the 1990 period, present estimates are that
the combined mean benefit of water supply augmentations
would be a minimum of $20 per acre-foot, or some $30 million
annually. At production costs of $2.50 per acre-foot,
benefit-cost ratios of about 10:1 are likely.

Demonstration Project seeding over some 40 to 50 percent

of the primary target areas would yield about 500,000 to

600,000 acre-feet of new water in a typical year., This

immediate yield would vary in proportion to the preceding

total Basin estimates except for during much above normal

years when suspensions would be likely.

During the 10 years of demonstration project seedin~, most

of this increase is expected to flow through the Reclamation

reservoirs on the Colorado River to Mexico. Hydroelectric

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