WMOD00382

• Project Name: Project Skywater
• Title: Project Skywater - Water Augmentation through Cloud Seeding
• Date: 7/1/1989
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

nature of suspected effects due to long-tenn operational cloud seeding programs. Evidence
for real downwind effects from precipitation enhancement operations is not persuasive,
although there are indications in some cases that precipitation increases, rather than decreases,
may occur up to 250 kIn downwind of the primary seeded area. Suspension criteria are
routinely employed that define conditions under which seeding is halted to safeguard against
triggering natural hazards such as severe weather, avalanches and flooding. The ease with
which seeding operations can be started and stopped both reduces risk and promotes public
acceptance.

CAPABILmES AND EXPERIENCE

Scientific Research Capabilities - Project Skywater research involves scores of scientists and
technicians in universities, research institutions, private enterprise, and local, State and the U.S.
Government. Their work is planned, coordinated and monitored by the professional staff of
Project Skywater which has education and experience in all facets of cloud seeding research
and applications.

The educational background of the professional staff includes three Ph.D., four master of
science, two bachelor of science and one bachelor of arts degrees, with specialties in
engineering, meteorology and atmospheric science, physics, electronics and communications.
The staff has a cumulative total of more than 200 years of scientific and technical experience
in areas such as:

Design of experiments and operations
Physical and statistical evaluations
Weather modification feasibility studies
Seeding physical hypotheses
Recognition of seeding opportunities
Ground and airborne seeding equipment and seeding materials
Seeding operations
Cloud physics instrumentation and measurement techniques
Numerical modelling
Aircraft operations
Conduct of field experiments
Conduct of precipitation enhancement operations
Data management
Environmental assessments
Social impact studies
Benefit-cost analyses

Since its formation, the Water Augmentation Group has conducted 18 major cloud seeding
research experiments, participated in 13 cooperative programs with other State and Federal
agencies and four cooperative programs involving foreign nations. Many of the programs have
been tailored to augmenting snowpack through seeding of orographic clouds, such as the
Colorado River Basin Pilot Project and the Park Range Program, both of which were
conducted in Colorado. In addition, summer programs concentrated on convective clouds for
increasing precipitation during the growing season. Typical of these were Cooperative

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