WMOD00395

• Title: Weather Modification Reporting Program - 1973-1978
• Date: 6/1/1979
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

Project Safety and Environmental Considerations

Two prior reports in this series contained some information on project
safety and environmental considerations (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration 1975 and 1976). The information on these subjects submitted
with the reports of activities in CY 1976. 1977, and 1978 did not differ
substantially from that of these earlier years. Some highlights of safety
and environmental considerations in Federal and nonfederal projects are
given below.

Federal Activities

All Federal agencies are required to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environ-
mental Policy Act of 1969 when proposing Umajor Federal actions
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment".
Such EIS reports are filed with the Environmental Protection
Agency.

The Federal activities during CY 1976-78 for which EIS's were
filed included NOAA's Project FACE (Florida Area Cumulus Experi-
ment) and Project STORMFURY (research on hurricane modification),
and the Bureau of Reclamation's Sierra Cooperative Pilot Project
(research on precipitation modification) and HIPLEX Project
(High Plains Experiment). Project STORMFURY was not activated
in the reporting period because no hurricane ~et the criteria for
modification research.

The reports submitted on the Federal weather modification
projects described provisions to acquire the latest forecasts,
advisories, warnings, and other information from the National
Weather Service, the Bureau of Reclronation, the Federal Aviation
Administration, and the Forest Service when appropriate. In some
cases, weather observations are made by project technical per-
sonnel. Project officials were kept current on such factors as
severe storms, flood conditions, avalanche potential, snowpack,
winds, and the usual meteorological data and forecasts. In a
Federally sponsored project in Utah, the seeding effort was to
be suspended when snowpack reached 175 percent of normal for
the time of year and whenever an avalanche warning was in effect
for the target area and immediate surroundings.

During the. HIP LEX program in Kansas, for example, a 5.4cm
weather radar at the Good1and Airport provided the seeding
aircraft with information on the characteristics and evaluation
of radar echoes in the area. Atmospheric soundings (rawinsondes)
were taken at least once daily at thE~ airport. Several networks
of rain gauges and surface weather stations were established as
well. Suspension criteria for this project were invoked whenever
officials believed seeding operations might cause or aggravate a

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