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<br />" - <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />4. Indicate How the Proposed Proiect is Desil!ned to Provide and Offers Promise of <br />Providinl! Economic Benefit to the Tarl!et Area <br /> <br />The proposed project design is based upon NA WC's significant experience in designing, <br />conducting and evaluating similar winter orographic weather modification projects in the <br />westem United States dating back to the 1950's. The design is also based upon the conduct ofa <br />number of research programs in weather modification including the Climax Experiments I and II <br />conducted in the Central Rocky Mountains of Colorado (Mielke, et ai, 1981) and the Colorado <br />River Basin Pilot Project (CRBPP) conducted in the San Juan Mountains of south-western <br />Colorado. NA WC's former affiliate company, Aerometric Research, performed a comprehensive <br />evaluation of the latter program (Elliott, et ai, 1976). <br />Evaluations of previous NA WC winter orographic projects have indicated increases in <br />target area precipitation in the range of 1 0-20%. For example, a long term project that began in <br />central and southern Utah in 1974 and continues to the present time has produced approximately <br />a 14% increases in target area precipitation based upon a target and control evaluation (Griffith, <br />et ai, 1991). Results from other projects conducted in Utah and surrounding Inter-Mountain states <br />are provided in Figures 3 and 4. <br />Based upon the positive results achieved in these projects and also upon the topography <br />of the target area and the type of storms that frequently impact the area, it is NA WC's <br />expectation that a 10-20% increase in target area precipitation can be produced by this project. <br />The predicted 10-20% increases will have a variety of positive impacts within Gunnison <br />County. The additional snow in the winter and spring months will benefit the tourism interests <br />(i.e. skiing, snowmobiling). A report prepared by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources <br />documents the impact of additional snow on ski area attendance (Sherretz and Loehr, 1983). This <br />report estimated that a 15% in snowfall for hypothetical dry winters at Colorado ski areas are <br />associated with 2-8% increases in total season visits. Increases in winter snowpack will result in <br />enhanced spring and summer streamflow on the upper Gunnison River and its tributaries. This <br />additional streamflow will provide an economic benefit to a variety of users and consumers. User <br />groups that may derive benefits will include: hydro-electric generation facilities, fishing, rafting <br />and general tourism interests. User groups that will benefit from the project will include irrigated <br />agriculture, livestock and municipal water interests. A report prepared by the Utah Division of <br />Water Resources estimated that the additional streamflow that results from a large winter <br />orographic weather modification program being operated in the State of Utah by NA WC is being <br />produced for approximately $1.02 per acre foot (Stauffer, 2001). The value ofthis water, <br />depending upon its use, is probably in the range of$10-$50 per acre foot in primary benefits. <br />There are a number of secondary benefits as well, for example the impacts on tourism, which <br />increases the value of this water. Increases in tourism also generate additional sales tax revenues <br />which will benefit Gunnison County and the State of Colorado. <br /> <br />6 <br />