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<br />~ <br /> <br />SNOW <br /> <br />t <br /> <br />APATHY~ <br /> <br />DROUGHT <br /> <br />! <br /> <br />Pi\NIC AWARENESS <br /> <br />'-. CONCERN / <br /> <br />Figure 1. The Hydro-illogical Cycle. <br /> <br />that water defi cits that took years to develop will be qui ckly repl e- <br />nished. However, when the drought is over, the prevailing attitude <br />returns to apathy, or to paraphrase the old saying "if there is snow in <br />the mountains, we don't need to worry about increasing water supplies." <br />It is important that water resource managers recogni ze that apathy in <br />the hydro-illogical cycle should be replaced by planning and preparation <br />to lessen the impact of drought. The application of a well-thought-out <br />scientific precipitation enhancement program is technically superior and <br />more cost effective than a quick response to crisis. <br /> <br />Augmentation Options <br /> <br />Weather modifi cat ion is .only one of many ways to augment water <br />suppli~s. Five possible measures for augmenting the Colorado River have <br />been identified: <br /> <br />Importation from other river basins <br />- Desalting of seawater and geothermal brines <br />- Evaporation suppression <br />- Vegetation management to increase runoff <br />- Weather modification to increase snowpack and runoff <br /> <br />Investigations. into the feasibility of these augmentation options <br />have resulted in the following conclusions: <br /> <br />Importation <br /> <br />Importation of water from other river basins to the Colorado River <br />Basin is not practical for the foreseeable future because of costs, <br />energy requirements, environmental impacts, and political realities. <br />The Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968 banned the Secretary of the <br />Interior from studies of water importation into the Basin from any other <br />. river basin' for a period of 10 years. That ban has subsequently been <br />extended for an additional 10 years. <br /> <br />