14d

• Board Meeting Date: 9/17/2008
• Description: Director's Report - CWCB Director
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

• Xcel submits comments on Final EA
• FERC issues license order
October 2009
No later than
June 2010
The stakeholder group met in Durango on September 3, 2008. This was the group's sixth meeting to
develop a mutually acceptable alternative to a bypass flow in connection with the issuance of the license.
Xcel representatives walked the group through the revised timeline and informed them that, in addition to
the steps outlined above, Xcel or any stakeholder can request a section 241 "trial-type hearing" on the
license application, with such request due on or before December 4, 2008.
According to Xcel representatives, preparation for and participation in such hearings is very expensive
and time-consuming for all parties. Xcel stated that if the group cannot agree upon an alternative by
October 10, 2008, Xcel may request a section 241 hearing. Representatives of the USFSIBLM and the
CDOW presented a counterproposal to the group comprised of two separate alternatives, both of which
would be implemented, in part, through the Instream Flow Program.
After a thorough discussion of the alternatives, Xcel expressed its intent to more fully evaluate the
alternatives internally, and the group scheduled a phone conference for September 1 1, 2008. Because the
alternatives are in draft form and have not been agreed upon by the group, staff has not included a
description of the alternatives in this report. Staff will continue to participate in the discussions and keep
the Board informed of the status of these negotiations. (Linda Bassi)
CLOUD SEEDING WORKSHOP IN DURANGO: Bruce Whitehead, CWCB Board Member,
hosted an August workshop for about twenty individuals that represent agencies invested in cloud seeding
through the three permitted programs in southwestern Colorado known as the Telluride, Western, and
Eastern San Juan Mountains programs.
ContractorlPermit Holder Larry Hjermstad of Western Weather Consultants, staff members Joe Busto &
Randy Seaholm, Arlen Huggins of the Desert Research Institute of Nevada, and Tom Ryan of the
Metropolitan District of Southern California were the main presenters. The topics included: the CWCB
strategic plan, Colorado River Seven Basin States water augmentation initiative, Nevada's cloud seeding
program and evaluation techniques, the new Grand Mesa program seeding equipment, and a recap of last
winter program and request for funding by Western Weather Consultants.
A key statement made by Huggins, a noted expert in the field, was that the links in the chain of events for
cloud seeding have been well documented and one of the remaining questions would be whether or not
Colorado's programs are "reliably releasing seeding material into clouds" to achieve the desired increase
in snowpack.
Further investigation may result in recommendations that some generators are suitable and some need to
be moved higher in elevation. Higher elevation generators may require an investment in remote operated
technology that involves cell, radio, or satellite communications. This type of remote operated cloud
seeding ice nuclei generator has been deployed in Nevada since 1975. Also discussed was the San Juan
Resource Conservation & Development Council contracting and administrating on behalf of all the
regional, state, and project sponsors.
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