Board Meeting Memorandum 09/08/2003 ‎(B)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 9/8/2003
• Description: Non Reimbursable Investments Weather Modification Program Demonstration Projects
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

• "NON-REVIEWED"
APRIL 2001 STAUFFER 63
CLOUD SEEDING-THE UTAH EXPERIENCE
Norman E.Stauffer,Jr.
Utah Division of Water Resources
Salt Lake City,Utah
Abstract. The first cloud seeding project in Utah began in the early 1950s in the central and
southern portion of the state and lasted four years. The project was reactivated in 1973 by the
original organizers and has continued to the present. The Utah Cloud Seeding Act was passed in
1973 by the Utah Legislature. This law provids for licensing cloud seeding operators and
permitting cloud seeding projects by the Utah Division of Water Resources. The act states that for
water right purposes all water derived from cloud seeding will he treated as though it fell
naturally. The act also allows for the division to sponsor and/or cost-share in cloud seeding
projects. Since 1976,the state through the division and Board of Water Resources has cost-shared •
with local entities for cloud seeding projects. In the 1970s, cloud seeding projects expanded to
cover most of the state. The majority of projects were for wintertime snow pack augmentation,
but a summertime hail suppression/rainfall augmentation project operated for six years in
Northern Utah. The state participated in the NOAA Cooperative Weather Modification Research
Project from 1981 to 1996. Wintertime snow pack augmentation projects continue to operate in
Utah.
I. TI 1E EARLY YEARS Central and Southern Utah Project reactivated the
program. They lobbied the legislature, which
Utah is the second driest state in the nation. it is resulted in passage of the 1973 Utah Cloud Seeding
not surprising, therefore, that a group of counties in Act. They operated the Central and Southern Utah
Central and Southern Utah sponsored a cloud seeding Project for wintertime snow pack augmentation in
project within a few years after the discovery of water years 1974 and 1975. They contracted, using
modern cloud seeding principles in the late 1940s, as their own funds (county taxes),with North American
did many other groups in the western and Weather Consultants to operate the project using
mid-western states. ground generators that released silver iodide.
A project began in April 1951 and operated until Through their lobbying and promotional efforts,
May 1955. The project used ground generators that state funding became available beginning in water
burned coke impregnated with silver iodide and was year 1976. With the state funding and local
operated by the Water Resources Development participation, the winter program was expanded to
Corporation of Denver, Colorado. The sponsoring cover more areas of the state. A summertime hail
entity was the Southern Utah Water Resources suppression and precipitation augmentation program
Development Corporation. was started in the northern portion of the state. State
funding for the winter and summer programs was
The University of Utah Meteorology Department about 70 percent, and local funding was the
(Hales et al., 1955) and the American Institute of remaining 30 percent.
Aerological Research(1955)made evaluations of the
effects of the cloud seeding. The two evaluations With greatly increased interest in weather
resulted in conflicting results,and the project ended. modification and the Cloud Seeding Act of 1973, the
Division of Water Resources responded with a public
The first legislation in Utah concerning weather involvement program. A Weather Modification
modification was enacted in 1953. This law required Newsletter, published several times a year, began in
the reporting of weather modification activities in 1975 and was distributed until 1980. Five annual
Utah to the Department of Meteorology at the one day cloud seeding seminars were held, and the
University of Utah. proceedings were published beginning in 1974. In
1975 the Division of Water Resources created a
2. THE BANNER REARS Technical Advisory Committee made up of
university and government scientists, television
weathermen, legislators, government agencies
The years 1973 through 1981 were historic in
shaping Utah's weather modification program. In involved in water resources, and water users. The
41, 1973 some of the on inal or anizers of the 1950s committee was realigned in 1977 into two separate
g g committees. One was called the Program Advisory