Laserfiche WebLink
Monitoring of the environment during the demonstration program will be <br />conducted in an effort to clarify the validity and nature of the <br />suspected long -term effects. <br />Extended area effects of cloud seeding have been a matter of controversy <br />for more than 30 years. While there is no evidence to support the <br />perception that snowpack augmentation in the mountains will cause a <br />compensating decrease in precipitation in downwind areas (the limited <br />evidence, in fact, suggests accompanying downwind increases), there is <br />a need for definitive results that address the existence and nature of <br />such effects. Studies to resolve this issue will be an integral part <br />of the demonstration program. <br />Minimization of risks will be accomplished by the adoption of operational <br />suspension criteria. Suspension criteria have been developed to define <br />conditions under which seeding would be halted to safeguard against <br />hazards such as avalanche and flooding potential. These will be refined and <br />tested during the demonstration program. <br />A public involvement program will precede and accompany the demonstration <br />experiment to inform the people who will be affected by it and to <br />establish communication mechanisms to facilitate prompt response to <br />public interest. The ease with which seeding operations can be started <br />and stopped to meet existing requirements both reduces risk and promotes <br />public acceptance. <br />4. Concluding Remarks <br />The technology of cloud seeding for enhancing snowpack in the Colorado <br />River Basin is scientifically possible, appears to be the most cost - <br />effective means for increasing water supplies, and is within sight. Results <br />of research experiments indicate that the flow of the Colorado River could <br />be increased about 10 to 15 percent by snowpack augmentation in the <br />mountainous areas of the Basin. The Bureau of Reclamation is planning <br />5 <br />