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<br />9. Factors Indicating that tne Proposed Weather ~odification Project is <br /> <br /> <br />Conceived to Provide and Offers Promise of Providing an Economic Benefit <br /> <br /> <br />to the Area in which the Operation will be Conducted (applicable only to <br /> <br /> <br />Commercial Projects): <br /> <br /> <br />Based upon the findings of research and operational programs for <br /> <br /> <br />snowpack increase which have been conducted within Colorado in the proposed <br /> <br /> <br />program area and producing precipitation increases ranging from <br /> <br /> <br />approximately 10 to 20 percent of the total wintertime precipitation for <br /> <br /> <br />comparable time periods of seeding operations, the additional snowpack <br /> <br /> <br />and water supply will have multiple recreational, agricultural and indus- <br /> <br /> <br />trial use for the residents of the project area and all of the downstream <br /> <br /> <br />water users. <br /> <br /> <br />Specifically, the Cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs during <br /> <br /> <br />the summer of 1981 paid up to $200.00 per acre foot for additional water <br /> <br /> <br />for their distribution systems. They place an approximate value of at <br /> <br /> <br />least $100.00 per acre foot on water they could augment by the application <br /> <br /> <br />of this seeding program. This seeding program could add on the average <br /> <br /> <br />approximately 4,000 additional acre feet of water each year to these <br /> <br />cities' water systems with a reasonable value of $400,000.00, <br /> <br /> <br />Accounting information from the Winter Park Ski Area indicates <br /> <br /> <br />that they normally would have expected over 900,000 skier visits during <br /> <br /> <br />the 1980-81 ski season when compared to the 1977-78 and 1978-79 ski <br /> <br /> <br />seasons. In fact, they only had 708,000 skier visits because of the <br /> <br /> <br />poorer snow conditions. This represented a loss in total revenues <br /> <br /> <br />of approximately 2.6 million dollars, Although the first weeks attendance <br /> <br /> <br />of the ski area was up markedly, the: average skier spent about $3.50 <br /> <br /> <br />less than the year before when snow conditions were generally better. <br /> <br /> <br />This additional first weeks loss, after accounting for higher ticket prices <br /> <br /> <br />was $22,132. Cloud seeding began over Winter Park during the 1980-81 <br /> <br /> <br />season after their opening date of Nov. 19, 1980. <br /> <br /> <br />Additional local economic benefit for some of the participating <br /> <br /> <br />ski areas is attached as an appendix to this sub-section. <br /> <br />-13- <br />