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<br />.,' <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />..r <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />S. Indicate How the Proposed Proiect is Reasonablv Expected to Benefit Both Persons <br />Livin!! in the Tar!!et Area and the People of Colorado <br /> <br />The expected economic benefits to Gunnison County were documented in the previous <br />section. There will be additional general benefits including increases in timber growth, increases <br />in water stored in under-ground aquifers, increased spring flows, and carry-over storage in <br />reservoirs from one year to another which may lessen the impacts of future droughts in the area. <br />Some of the additional water generated by the project will flow downstream into other <br />Colorado counties (e.g. Montrose, Delta, Pitkin, and Chaffee Counties) which will derive <br />economic and general benefits from this additional water (i.e. irrigation, hydro-electric <br />generation, municipal water, tourism). Surrounding counties will also benefit from increased <br />tourism in the area which will generate additional tax revenue for these counties and the State of <br />Colorado. <br /> <br />6. Indicate How the Proposed Proiect is Scientifically and Technicallv Feasible <br /> <br />A Policy Statement on Planned and Inadvertent Weather Modification adopted by the <br />American Meteorological Society in 1998 (AMS, 1998) which states in part "There is statistical <br />evidence that precipitation from supercooled orographic clouds (clouds that develop over <br />mountains) has been seasonably increased by about 10%. The physical cause-and-effect <br />relationships, however, have not been fully documented. Nevertheless, the potential for such <br />increases is supported by field measurements and numerical model simulations." NA WC's <br />design for this project is directed at winter supercooled orographic clouds. This AMS statement <br />provides scientific support to NA WC's design. This policy statement was no doubt based in part <br />upon earlier research programs conducted in Colorado that were referenced earlier (Climax I and <br />II and the Colorado River Basin Pilot Project). Another research program of relevance to the <br />design ofthis project was conducted in the Jemez and Sierra Nacimiento Mountains of northern <br />New Mexico from 1969 to 1972. This project utilized ground based portable silver iodide <br />generators to seed portions of winter orographic storms on a randomized basis. A statistical <br />analysis of the effects ofthe seeding indicated an increase of 13% during the seeded 24 hour <br />periods (Keyes, et ai, 1972). <br />NA WC cites its long history, which dates back to 1950, in conducting successful winter <br />orographic weather modification programs as evidence that the conduct ofthis project is <br />technically feasible. Attachment 1 provides a summary listing of some ofNA WC's previous <br />operational precipitation enhancement projects. Many ofthese projects were winter orographic <br />weather modification projects. <br /> <br />7. Describe How the Proposed Proiect is Desi!!ned for and Offers Promise of Expandin!! the <br />Knowled!!e and Technolo!!y of Weather Modification (applicable to research proiects onlv) <br /> <br />Not applicable, operational project is proposed. <br /> <br />9 <br />