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<br />I I <br />I <br />DROUGHT RELIEF I <br />I <br />: I \ I <br /> <br />DURING THE SUMMER of 1971, much <br />of the Southwest was under severe drought <br />conditions. Newspapers reported that <br />three-fourths of Texas was in a severe-to- <br />extreme drought, worsened by strong <br />winds and frequent 1000 temperatures that <br />would parch crops and the land even more. <br />In parts of Oklahoma, rainfall was only 10 <br />percent of normal, livestock water was <br />drying up, forcing sale of many base herds. <br />Other southwestern states experienced <br />similar conditions. Campgrounds and <br />lakes in some national forests in Arizona <br />were closed because of extreme fire <br />danger. <br /> <br />TEXAS <br /> <br />Because of the severe drought conditions, <br />the Governor of Texas appealed to the <br />President of the United States for assist- <br />ance. The President directed the Office of <br />Emergency Preparedness (OEP) to make <br />the necessary arrangements to conduct <br />cloud seeding over most of southcentral <br />Texas. <br /> <br />I' <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation was given <br />responsibility for managing a 30-day pro- <br />gram which began in early June 1971. <br />Using the Bureau's existing cloud seeding <br />research project in San Angelo as a base, <br />aircraft and crews from Meteorology Re- <br />search, Inc., the University of Nevada, <br />and the University of Washington operated <br />in that portion of southcentral Texas, <br />north and west of San Antonio to San <br />Angelo. Aircraft and crews furnished by <br />the U.S. Air Force operated south and east <br />of San Antonio to the Gulf of Mexico. This <br />portion of the Texas drought- relief proj ect <br />was directed from Kelly Air Force Base, <br />San Antonio. <br /> <br />ARIZONA <br /> <br />In June, the Governor of Arizona made a <br />similar appeal for help to OEP, and OEP <br />called on the Bureau of Reclamation to <br />manage a cloud seeding program. From <br />mid-July to mid-August, aircraft furnished <br />by Meteorology Research, Inc., and At- <br />mospherics, Inc., seeded suitable clouds, <br />primarily in the eastern half of the State. <br />Planes were based in Flagstaff and Safford. <br /> <br />OKLAHOMA <br /> <br />Drought continued during the summer in <br />Oklahoma. Once again OEP asked the <br />Bureau of Reclamation to operate a <br />drought-relief program. This project <br />operated from mid-August to mid-October, <br />and aircraft and crews were provided by <br />Weather Science, Inc., based at Norman, <br />and Flight Test Research, Inc., flying out <br />of Altus. Project headquarters was loca- <br />ted at the National Severe Storms Labora- <br />tory (NSSL) of the National Oceanic and <br />Atmospheric Administration in Norman. <br />Use of the NSSL radar was an important <br />asset in controlling operations Blnd evalu- <br />ating results of this project. <br /> <br />KANSAS <br /> <br />The State of Kansas, well aware of natural <br />drought patterns, was concerned. Early <br />in 1972, when the drought spread into <br />Kansas, the State Legislature initiated a <br />comprehensive study of weather modifica- <br />tion to determine its usefulness as a me- <br />thod of augmenting dwindling water <br />supplies. Although the drought diminished <br />during the spring, the Kansas Water Re- <br />sources Board decided to go ahead with <br />an experimental effort designed to develop <br />technology for use in the event of another <br />drought. The State appropriated $100,000 <br />to fund the summer project and called on <br />the Skywater staff for expertise, l::omputer, <br />and contractor support. Although much <br /> <br />16 <br />