WMOD00385

• Title: Augmentation Potential through Weather Modification - Working Document
• Date: 2/1/1975
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

economic detriments to the areas that receive increased snow-
fall have been estimated to be $2 million in the basin and
$1 million out of the basin. This is about equivalent to $1 per
acre-foot of water produced. If these costs are added to the direct
costs of cloud seeding and the costs for avalanche control, flood
forecasting, and environmental monitoring programs, the cost of water
produced is less than $3 per acre-foot. This is still a very ineixpen-
sive way of providing extra water in the Colorado River Basin.

"If only existing facilities are used to store and distribute
water and generate power, benefits of at least $7.8 million
annually could be generated in basin and $5.0 million annually
by out-of-basin spillover runoff. Of the $12.8 million total
annual benefits, $6.2 million is accounted for by electric power
generation. This use of WOSA (Winter Orographic Snowpack Aug-
mentation) provides the least equivocal form of benefits for an
operational program."

HISTORIC AND PROJECTED PROGRAM FUNDING LEVELS

In 1961, Congress gave the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) authorization
to proceed with research on cloud seeding and appropriated $100,000
for use in fiscal year 1962. Table 1 provides a sununary of the area.s
to which obligations were made from FY62 through FY74. The table
shows that 52 percent of the programs' funds have been obligated to
research at universities and approximately 19 percent to private
companies. Table 2 presents the estimated projected funding require-
ments through FY 1981. These estimates are based on the current
control schedule which does not take into consideration new starts
beyond the present fiscal year.

The Colorado River Basin Pilot Project is a good example of bringing:
together a variety of organizations, each representing indivi.dual
areas of expertise, into a well coordinated, functioning program.
Table 3 lists project contractors and estimated costs. Not included.
in the estimates are approximately another 10 percent for the support,
coordination, and direction provided by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Three years of lead-in activities preceded the first season of seeding
in FY 1971.

Included in Table 3 are estimates for continuing the pilot project
through a fifth year of seeding in FY 1975. The additional year of
seeding has also provided the basis for continued research on ava-
lanches. With conclusion of the original contract for development of
an avalanche forecast model a second phase of research coordinated

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