WMOD00011

• Applicant: Don Griffith North American Weather Consultants, Inc.
• Sponsor Name: City and County of Gunnison
• Project Name: Cloud Seeding Evaluation
• Title: The Development, Conduct and Evaluation of a Cloud Seeding Program for the Gunnison River Basin, Colorado During the 2003-2004 Season
• Prepared For: City and County of Gunnison
• Prepared By: North American Weather Consultants
• Date: 8/1/2004
• County: Gunnison
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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T ABl.E OF CO:>iTENTS

Section

1.0

INTRODUCTION ..............................................................

2.0 PROJECT DESIGN .............................................................................................. 2

2. I Background ..... ......... ..... .... ... ....... _.' '.......... ...... ... ... ... ... ..................... ... ..... 2
2.2 Seedability Criteria ................................................................................... 2
2.3 Suspension Criteria............................... .................................................... 2
2.4 Equipment and Project Set-Up ............... ................................................. 4
2.5 Operations Center and Personnel ............................................................. 7

3.0 OPERATIONS .................................................................................................... II

3.1 Operational Procedures ........................................................................... 12
3.2 Operational Sumnlary ........................................0.................................... 20

4.0 EV Al.UA TIONS OF SEEDING EFFECTIVENESS ........................................ 28

4.1 Precipitation Analysis .......................0.0.0................................................. 30
4.1.1 Control Area Precipitation Gauge Sites ...................................... 31
4.1.2 Target Area Gauge Sites ............................................................. 36
4.1.3 Regression Equation Development. December -l\larch Period.. 39
4.1.4 Precipitation Evaluation Results ...........................0..................... 40
4.2 Snowpack (Water Equivalent) Analysis .....................................0........... 42
4.2.1 Regression Equation Development ............................................. 44
4.2.2 Evaluation Results (Sno....'Pack) .........0.....................................0.. 47
4.3 Potential Seeding Impacts during the First Half of April....................... 48
4.4 Summary and Discussion of Precipitation and Estimated Seeding
Effects..................... ...... ............. .............. ..............................................__ 49
4.5 Potential Seeding Impacts at the Rocky Mountain Biological
Laboratory.......... .............. .... h. ... ...... ..... ......... ........ .0.......... .......... ........... 55
4.6 Potential Downwind Effects .....0.....0....................................................... 57

5.0 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................... 58

ACKNO\\'EDGMENTS

REFERENCES