WMOD00432

• Title: Colorado River Augmentation Demonstration Program - Finding of No Significant Impact
• Date: 9/1/1985
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

D. Geographic Alternatives

The tests proposed for Grand Mesa could be conducted in other alpine
watersheds in mountain ranges in the tIpper Colorado River Basin.
Major concerns in selection of a site are: storm patterns; accessi-
bility; topography; and potential effect on mountain communities,
wilderness, or similar areas.

Grand Mesa was selected over other sites because it is the best area
for the type of studies proposed, where no other area would serve as
well for all the necessary criteria. It is centrally located between
two general storm types that affect the southern and northern ranges
of the Upper Colorado River Basin. It receives a variety of winter
storms, including northwesterly, westerly, and southwesterly events,'
and a high frequency of winter storms. If activities were located in
other potential areas, the variety of storm types available for
investigation would be reduced.

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Grand Mesa is accessible for airborne and ground research activities
throughout the winter. There are airports at Montrose and Grand
Junction. Highway 65 is an all-weather highway providing access to
the top of Grand Mesa in winter. Access is availahle from the high-
way to equipment and collection sites by snowmobiles, skis, or
snowshoes. A commercial powerline is available. The relatively flat
top of Grand Mesa allows lower altitude data collection by aircraft
than would be possible over more rugged terrain, with a major safety
advantage for in-storm investigations. Grand Mesa also has the
advantage of not including areas especially sensitive to potential
impacts, such as wilderness or established year-round mountain
communities. (See also the discussion on Grand Mesa in Section II.A.)

Grand Mesa is, therefore, the site with the most potential for pro-
viding a complete research program although other geographic areas
are possible alternatives.

E. Programmatic Alternatives

Eight alternative programs to precipitation management are discussed
in the Project Skywater Final Environmental Statement (Bureau of,
Reclamation, 1977) in chapter 8, "Alternatives to the Proposed
Action". The chapter is incorporated by reference as part of this
environmental assessment, and the reader is directed to that document
for details of these alternatives. The eight are:

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1. The null alternative (no action)
2. Accommodating to projected water shortages
3. Expanded application of conventional water resource engineering
4. Geothermal waters
5. Saline waters
6. Interbasin or intrabasin transfers
7. Water reclaimed through conservation
8. Alternative technologies applicable to the atmospheric water resource

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