WMOD00512

• Title: Special Report to the Commissioner - Precipitation Management for the Colorado River Basin
• Date: 1/1/1980
• State: CO
• Country: United States
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

SECTION V. THE SMO JUAN OPERATIONAL PROGRAM

Introduction

The proposed San Juan Operational Cloud Seeding Project is a
3-phase effort that can lead to Basinuide operations by 1989. The
program schedule includes a I-year Initiation Phase to negotiate
contracts. obtain equipment. and make field installations; a
2-year Preoperational Phase to obtain field verification of the
operational procedures and modification hypotheses; and a 4- or
5-year Operational Phase beginning in the 1983-84 winter season
(FY 1984). A Basinuide precipitation management program could
then begin in the Colorado River Basin in 1989 if the significant
and required optional transferability studies are conducted in
parallel uith the San Juan operational program. Figure 4 shows
the San Juan design components. Figure 5 shows the operational area.

The San Juan program must include a strong emphasis on observation
of the intermediate processes within cloud systems. Understanding
of these intermediate processes is critical. so that program
scientists will be able to assess the results. regardless of
whether or not they are as expected. In addition. such an under-
standing is required to confidently transfer the techniques
developed in the San Juan area to other subbasins of the Colorado
River Basin and other areas of the West.

Basinwide precipitation management operations can be initiated in
1989 only if the transferability studies are conducted concurrently
with the San Juan operational program. The transferability studies
will collect and analyze relevant meteorological and topographic
data for each of the high-yield potential precipitation management
areas. Ground-based seeding feasibility studies to be conducted in
a second Colorado River subbasin are not a prerequisite to beginning
Basinwide operations by 1989; they are a highly desirable option to
determine the viability of this seeding mode in terms of efficiency
and cost effectiveness. These studies are discussed in detail in
the Parallel Studies subsection of this report.

The Initiation Phase

The I-year Initiation Phase (FY 1981) is scheduled as an intensive
period of equipment. facility. and operations contract procurement;
equipment installation; team building; and personnel training. A
project field office must be established and data collection from
newly-installed systems initiated. Environmental and social impact

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