WMOD00391 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

A number of studies (Hurley 1968, Elliott et al., 1973, and Weisbecker 1974) have estimated the average annual water augmentation. potential for cloud seeding in the Colorado River Basin. The most con- servative estimate was made by North American Weather Consultants (E11i ott et a1., 1973), and is bei ng used for p1 anni ng. The study employed 20 years of precipitation, runoff, and storm data and used a combi nati on of meteoro1 ogi ca1, and hydro1 ogi ca1 analyses to estimate incremental runoff that could result from cloud seeding. The meteorolo- gical information was factored into a numerical model, the results of which were adjusted to fit historical data within each subbasin exa- mined. Final precipitation values were calculated as a function of distance from the mountain massif of each subbasin. Runoff values were calculated by developing precipitation runoff relationships for each massif and applying them seasonally by elevation to the precipitation quantities. Runoff values were accumulated to represent the total addi- tional water available for each subbasin.' The estimated potential augmentation in annual streamflow from cloud seeding in the Upper Colorado River Basin for the historical period 1906 to 1978 ranged from 900,000 to 2,100,000 acre-feet, with the average bei ng 1,432,000 acre-feet. The average annual increase in streamflow in the Lower Colorado River.Basin and the adjacent river basins was estimated to be 298,000 and 533,000 acre-feet, respectively. Thus, the total average annual increase in water that could be produced by a basinwide operational cloud seeding program (figure 3) was esti- mated to be 2,263,000 acre-feet. TOTAL ADDITIONAL WATER (in thousands of aere-feet) UPPER BASIN 1.432 LOWER BASIN 298 ADJACENT BASINS 533 TOTAL 2,263 _ High Water. Yield Areas Figure 3. Colorado River Basin Estimated Enhancement Potential. .,