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I r- alleviate hail damage are approved and conducted to conform with state and local requirements on safety and Emvironmental impact, but without the direct supervision of a State agency and usually without evaluation methods. A third type of program management uses a contractor hired by the State to conduct the seeding activity without direct supervision by State per- sonnel. An example is the Central and Southern Colorado program of 1977-78 to augment wintertime snowpack and precipitation by use of ground-based silver iodide generators. The operational plan for this project notes that: '!The contractor will retain the right to suspend operations during any period it determines detrimental. Facilities will be maintained to gather and analyze weather data providing a continuing weather watch. The contractor will also maintain close liaison with the state Program Coordinator regarding existing conditions. "The forecast and operations center of the Contractor will monitor on a seven day per week basis the weather patterns over Colorado and the western United States during the six- month operating period. Meteorologists licensed by the S'tate of Colorado to operate weather modification programs will deter- mine if particular weather events are suitable for precipita- tion augmentation by cloud seeding in accordance with the operational criteria stated in this proposal. "Prior to initiating any seeding operations, a thorough hazard analysis will be evaluated. A potential weather system judged suitable for seeding will be evaluated for its potential to develop into a blizzard, severe storm, or a heavy precipi- tating storm possibly associated with a potential major avalanche episode. Also, the effects of the weather event on ranching, agriculture, highway travelers, municipal interests and industry will be considered. This evaluation will be con- centrated upon those areas to be seeded along with considera- tions of potential disbenefits to adjacent areas which may be influenced by augmented precipitation. No seeding will be initiated during a period determined to have a high potential hazard evaluation. "Once a seeding operation has been initiated, monitoring of existing and forecast weather conditions will continue through- out the duration of the seeding operntion. All new meteorological information will be assessed as well as reports from generator operators, the State Patrol, and field maintenance personnel in the seeded areas. Changing weather conditions that would indi- cate the onset of potentially severe or hazardous weather con- ditions will result in the suspension of seeding operations throughout the duration of these potEmtially hazardous weather conditions. 15