WMOD00413

• Title: Validation of Precipitation Management by Seeding Winter Orographic Clouds in the Colorado River Basin
• Date: 9/1/1993
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

Congressional direction to the Secretary on augmenting Colorado River Basin water supplies is
contained in the following Public Laws:

Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968. - The Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968
(Public Law 90-537) directed the Secretary of the Interior in Section 102a ". . . to provide a
program for the further comprehensive development of the water resources of the Colorado
River Basin and for the provision of additional and adequate water supplies for use in the
Upper as well as the Lower Colorado River Basin.'" Under Title II, the Secretary is
authorized to prepare an augmentation plan to meet the water requirements of new projects,
existing projects, current water allotments, and the 1944 Water Treaty with Mexico.

Section 202 of Public Law 90-537 recognizes a national obligation to annually provide 1.5
million acre-ft of water, together with any associated losses of water from the Colorado River,
to meet the requirements of the Mexican Water Treaty. Section 202 states that "The
Congress declares that the satisfaction of the requirements of the Mexican Water Treaty
from the Colorado River constitutes a national obligation which shall be the first obligation of
any water augmentation project planned pursuant to Section 201 of this Act and authorized
by the Congress."

During the discussions leading to the passage of the Act in 1968, weather modification was
considered a viable alternative augmentation source, and water yields from cloud seeding
would constitute additional water to meet the Act's requirements. In the Statement of the
Managers on the part of the House, contained in Conference Report (S. 1004) House,
September 4, 1968, they indicated that ". . . all possible sources of water must be considered,
including water conservation and salvage, weather modification, desalination and
importation from areas of surplus."

Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974. - The Colorado River Basin Salinity
Control Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-320) authorized and directed the Secretary of the Interior
to proceed with a program of works of improvement for the enhancement and protection of
the quality of water in the Colorado River. Section 101(c) states that replacement of the
reject stream from the Yuma desalting plant and of bypassed Welton-Mohawk drainage
water is ''recognized as a national obligation as provided in Section 202 of the Colorado River
Basin Project Act." Augmented streamflows resulting from cloud seeding would result in
decreased salinity concentrations in the Colorado River Basin, and could provide a source of
replacement for the Yuma desalting plant reject stream.

Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991. - Reclamation States Emergency
Drought Relief Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-250) authorized the Secretary of the Interior "to
conduct a Precipitation Management Technology Transfer Program to help alleviate
problems caused by precipitation variability and droughts in the West, as part of a balanced
long-term water resources development and management program." Section 206(b) states
that "in consultation with State, Tribal, and local water, hydropower, water quality and
instream flow interests, areas shall be selected for conducting field studies . . . to validate and
quantify the potential for appropriate precipitation management technology to augment
stream flows." Upon successful completion of such a program, validated technologies will be
"transferred to nonFederal interests for operational implementation."

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