WMOD00156

• Applicant: Valley Grovers
• Sponsor Name: Western Weather Consultants
• Project Name: San Luis Valley
• Date: 5/1/1976
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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Operational Summary

This summary covers the 3 month cloud seeding operations period from
January 14; 1976 to April 14, 1976. This cloud seeding program was con-
ducted for the Valley Growers, Inc. of Center, Colorado by Western Weather
Consultants of Durango, Colorado.

This three month period during the 1975-76 winter season had 30 days with
measureable precipitation recorded at the East Side Highway Base Camp on
Wolf Creek Pass totaling approxi~ately 18 inches of water equivalent from
the snowfall. There were 12 recognized seeding neriods during this period
of which 10 were randomly selected to be seeded and 2 were not seeded.
Seeding occurred over all or part of 14 days. On the 14 seeded days,
approximately 8 inches of water equivalent precipitation waS recorded at
the Wolf Creek Pass East Highway Base Camp. Allor a part of 16 days
during this 3 month period could have been seeded if the two no-seed, periods
had not been randomly selected according to the operational design of the
program. The occurrence of storm periods favorable for seeding was about
50-70% greater than was anticioated when the program was set up. The 12
recognized seeding periods are listed below:

No. of Generators
Date Time Seeding Started Hours Continued Operated in Period
Jan. 24, 1976 1500hrs 18 hours 7
Feb. 4 , 1976 1000 60 10
Feb. 9 , 1976 1400 6 NOT SEEDED
Feb. 15, 1976 1100 22-:\-- 12
Feb. 24, 1976 1430 7! 5
Mar. 1, 1976 1300 24 NOT SEEDED
Mar. 3, 1976 1000 23 7
Mar. 7, 1976 1030 21 10
Mar, 10, 1976 2130 28t 7
Mar. 14, 1976 2145 12 5
Apr. 5, 1976 1045 12 11
Apr. 12, 1976 1245 35 10

During the 10 randomly selected seed days, twelve of the project generators
operated for a total of 1780 hours seeding favorable cloud systems. During
these hours the generators were operated, anproximately LLo gallons of
Silver Iodide were consumed. Figure 1. is a map of Southwestern Colorado
indicating the locations of the 13 nroject generators and the project
seeding area. Listed below are the generator location numbers and the
total number of hours during the three month period they were operated:

#1- 263 3/4 hrs
#2- 184 t
#3- 159
#4- 225

#5- L8 hrs
#6- 70t
#7- 185 2/3
#8- f\7 t

# 9- 115 3/4 hrs
#10- 159 3/4
#11- 68, ~,
#13- 213

Generator # 12 was not operated during this seeding period because the
state of New Mexico refused to issue a seeding permit for its operation in
New Mexico eTen if the seeding effects would be in Colorado, ,This refusal
was based upon their interpretation that no final evaluation of the Bureau
of Reclamation's Pilot Project was available for their review.

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