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<br />..~.... <br /> <br />in imprecise form; the California Highway Patrol has estimated that <br />adequate data could be obtained for selected test pe riods and analyzed for <br />approximately $5000. <br /> <br />. A study should be made of the thresholds of snow <br />accumulation and intensity that puts snow clearance machinery into <br />operation. The experience of the highway supervisor is undoubtedly <br />actually governing, but operations are also expressible in ternlS of <br />physical parameters of depth of snow on the ground and its observed <br />rate of increase. These values could then be put into frequency terms <br />to determine how often these thresholds occur in different winters. <br />Then storm simulation would be used to dete rmine how many storms <br />in a dry winter would be translated from the no-action-necessary state <br />into a state requiring first-stage action, and so on. The results could <br />be used to estimate additional costs to the taxpayers. Included in such <br />a study should bean evaluation of added physical damage to road <br />surfaces due to increased use of tire chains and of heavy snow removal <br />equipment. <br /> <br />These two recommendations are presently being studied <br />under agreements between the United States Bureau of Reclamation and <br />the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of <br />Transportation respectively. The primary point of this report relevant <br />to these studies is the amount of increased precipitation expected. The <br />best available evidence indicates increases from 10 percent to 30 percent <br />may be expected. Other considerations that would be of interest if <br />anticipated would be a significant extension of storm duration, changes in <br />frequency of precipitation occurrence, or extension of the storm season. <br />None of these are expected outcomes of a snow augmentation program. <br /> <br />3.5 <br /> <br />Biological Considerations <br /> <br />There were nine specific recommendations concerning <br />the study of impacts on bios ystems in the Sie rra Nevada. Various <br />arrangements have been made for addressing these. A brief descrip- <br />tion of the approach taken toward each recommendation is presented <br />in this section with reference where appropriate to the relevant results <br />from this study. <br /> <br />13 <br />