Finance Committee Meeting 2013

• Board Meeting Date: 9/26/2013
• Description: Finance Committee Meeting September 26, 2013
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

CWCB Water Project Non-Reimbursable Investment Program
Project Data Sheet
• Sponsor: Colorado Water Conservation Board Location: Statewide
Project Name: WM Grants Project Type: Grants, Equipment, &Evals
Drainage Basin: Colo.,Gunn, SW Basins Water Source: Various
Total Project Cost: $1M+ spent all sources Funding Source: Construction Fund
CWCB NRI: $175,000 Type of Grantee: Grants to Sponsors
The CWCB has had grants since 2004 and has been delegated Weather Modificatan Saes and Target Areas•2013
the DNR-EDO's weather modification permitting program 16
since 1987. The primary program is suspending operations •
right based p thresholds. At
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even programs with colored shapes ani en cleigenerators
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shown as orange triangles. Water Manager sponsored ri= €
programs were developed after the drought of early 2000s. —
State to state agreements were signed in 2007 to provide -
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grants. Each year the CWCB distributes grants from our �-- '�� `
ai
agency and the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, '
Southern Nevada Water Authority, Central Arizona WCD, , '; t ,
and California Six Agency Committee.These grants support
the commitment to work together towards regional water solutions. Colorado's programs are stable at ten
• years old or even older like 40 years at Vail/Beaver Creek. State of the art or industry standard operations
in Colorado must be our goal. The updated WM Rules now require target control evaluations and after the
first year the estimates are coming in at one to seven percent increases.The estimates in contractor reports
are 10-15% so there is room for improvement. Staff has been
working with Desert Research Institute of Reno,Nevada to bring
in newer machines high elevation machines to increase
effectiveness. Last year we have developed weather model
displays for 100 points. A success story has at the Grand Mesa
where City of GJ employees own and operate a lean effective
program now with help from the CWCB and Lower Basin.
Representatives from A State Council for Cloud Seeding will tour ; •
this retooled program in September 2013. Staff is developing
liquid propane seeding for use as it was found to be safe,
economical,reliable and cost effective and increases precipitation
through a USBR research study. At right is the nation's first two-in-one seeder at the Cedaredge Water
Treatment Plant deployed in October 2012. It dispenses propane during warm snowy periods and silver in
colder snowy periods.This will help us adapt seeding to warming climate. Contractors don't use propane
seeding but it is likely the perfect tool for many of our 29 ski areas so it
merits exploration. A 2008 Board approved WM Strategic Plan staff
balanced grants for operations,new equipment,and evaluations and =.
teamed with the updated 2012 WM Rules we are beginning to see the F '
fruits of that labor. Winter Park Ski Area requested a silver-in-snow
analysis for proper targeting and estimates of increases. Silver in snow
is convincing evidence of a seeding effect since background levels are
411 filtered out and its silver above background in layers of snow pack.
Denver Water will fund a plume modeling study to evaluate and refine
current generator configurations. (graphic at right)Typically each year
about$1M is spent on cloud seeding with 175,000 or 17.5%from the CWCB and$175,000 or 17.5%
from the Lower Basin and New Mexico. For every dollar CWCB spends five is leveraged.