WMOD00568

• Project Name: Snowater
• Title: Snow Water Augmentation for the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies - Stage I: Technology Adaptation
• Date: 6/1/1986
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Water supplies in southern Alberta may not be able to meet future
agricultural and urban requirements of the region. In fact, shortages
have occurred in recent years. To help alleviate this potential
. shortage. a water augmentation strategy is proposed for the Oldman
River basin using cloud seeding technology developed mostly in the
western United States. This technology has been identified by the
United States Secretary of the Interior as the "most cost effective
and promising means of meeting the water needs of the Colorado River
basin".

In Alberta. recent airborne measurements of clouds indicated a
potential for increasing snowfall in the mountains by cloud seeding.
Scientists at Montana State University and the United States Bureau of
Reclamation have identified a similar potential for the nearby Bridger
Range in western Montana.

These factors have led the Alberta Research Council to submit this
proposal for project SNOWATER I (SNOw Water Augmentation For lhe
fastern Slopes of the Bockies). A two stage approach is proposed.
First. snow augmentation technology would be transferred and adapted
to Alberta (SNOWATER I). Then, a full scale experimental seeding
program (SNOWATER II) would be conducted to demonstrate the use of
this technology.

An increase in snowpack of 10 to 15 percent by cloud seeding would
result in an increase in the average April to September runoff of
10 percent or 250.000 acre-feet of water in the Oldman River basin.
In a dry year this extra water yield would significantly reduce
shortages. In years with normal runoff it could be used to irrigate
approximately 100,000 additional acres.

Cloud seeding could also be applied to other basins with similar
percentage increases expected.

Costs for additional water produced by snow augmentation from cloud
seeding are estimated to be five dollars ($5) an acre-foot. This
compares most favourably with costs for alternatives ranging as high
as $300 per acre-foot for inter-basin transfer.

Major activity areas in the first stage (SNDWATER I) would include:

1. Development and adaptation of appropriate technology.
2. Seeding trials and system testing.

3. Contract studies regarding experimental, economic and
environmental project components.

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