WMOD00076

• Applicant: Western Weather Consultants
• Project Name: Central Mountain Area/Cloud Seeding
• Date: 11/15/1980
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

FINAL OPERATIONAL SEEDING SUMMARY REPORT

for
CENTRAL MOUNTAIN AREA WEATHER MODIFICATION PROGRAM

Application for a permit renewal for weather modification in the
North Central Mountains of Colorado was submitted on August 22,
1980, to the Department of Natural Resources, State of Colorado.
This matter was reviewed at a public meeting held on September 25,
1980 before Monte Pascoe, Executive Director, Colorado Department
of Natural Resources, at the Dillon Town Hall, Dillon, Colorado.

A permit to operate the program with several changes and limita-
tions was received on October 15, 1980. The beginning date for
unrestricted operations in the Crested Butte area was delayed from
November 1, 1980, to December 1, 1980. Conditional seeding opera-
tions with the approval of a Citizens Advisory Council were permit-
ted in the Crested Butte area between November 15, 1980, and
November 30, 1980. However, this council, without any basis of
snow pack or weather conditions, voted to have no seeding operations
during the conditional interval. The beginning date for operations
in the Vail, Copper Mountains, Keystone and Winter Park areas was
delayed from November 1 to November 15, 1980. Continued limitations
applied to utilizing generators when the plume might be expected to
reach Leadville, Colorado, and to those generators under the wind
direction conditions specified by Western Weather Consultants, Inc.
and attached to the permit. The snow pack suspension criteria were
reduced to effect earlier cut off of operations with above mean
snow packs.

The program was operationally ready by November, 1980, with 25
generators for the program area. All of the generators were manual-
ly operated and utilized silver iodide as the nucleating agent.

Weather systems suitable for treatment were scarce in November.
The only opportunity occurred on November 22, 1980.

Because of the drier than normal weather conditions experienced
across Colorado this winter, all of the ski area participants in
the program extended the seeding program in their respective areas
beyond their anticipated February 15, 1980, ending date. The
seeding program in the Winter Park, Keystone and Copper Mountain
areas continued through March 3, 1981. The program in the Crested
Butte area continued through March 6, 1981. The Vail Ski Area
program continued through March 31, 1981.

During the period from November 15, 1980 through March 31, 1981,
seeding operations were conducted on 30 calendar days. These 30
days were included in 20 separate seeding operations.