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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />agencies, local landowners, irrigation companies, conservationists, recreational interests, and others. <br />The Steering Committee has taken the Pathfinder Project into the communities located in the principle <br />watersheds of the GMUG forests to get local input. This has been accomplished through public <br />meetings and a public survey that was distributed widely throughout the forests. <br /> <br />The Steering Committee has used this information and other technical information provided by the <br />agencies involved in the process and others to: 1) characterize the watersheds on the forests, 2) <br />identify critical instream flow issues, 3) compile instream flow management tools, and is currently <br />developing recommendations for the Forest Service's consideration. <br /> <br />In the coming months, the Steering Committee will take the preliminary results of its efforts back out <br />to the public to for additional review and comment. These meetings are designed to disseminate and <br />gather information and will be centered on briefings for county commissioners, water user groups and <br />agencies, the state legislature, and other interest groups. One of the first briefings is scheduled before <br />the Joint Ag Committee of the State Legislature on April 9 at 7:30 a.m., following a presentation by <br />the Regional Forester. A request has also been made to appear before the CWCB at its meeting in <br />Meeker. Other meetings are in the process of being scheduled. Additional information on the <br />Pathfinder Project and up-coming public meetings is available on the Pathfinder web site at <br />http://www.gmugpathfinder.org or by contacting Gary Shellhorn at gshellhorn@fs.fed.us or (970) 874- <br />6666. <br /> <br />TU Files SOP Against AB Lateral: In 1984 and 1988, the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users' <br />Association ("UVWUA") was awarded two conditional water rights to protect the priority date for the <br />AB Lateral Hydroelectric project pending construction of the project. When built, the project would <br />divert water from the Gunnison River above the Black Canyon to the Uncompahgre Valley for <br />hydropower production. <br /> <br />The UVWUA recently filed applications in water court seeking to demonstrate that it has been diligent <br />in its efforts to complete the project. TU has filed a Statement of Opposition claiming that the <br />UVWUA has not been diligent and that the project cannot and will not be completed. <br /> <br />Gunnison County Cloud Seeding: In late December 2002 the CWCB issued a cloud seeding permit <br />to Gunnison County and local water users to augment snowpack in the Gunnison Basin. A total of 18 <br />generators have been installed and are operating today. An approximate release of silver iodide is <br />3512 grams over 439 hours at an average rate of8 grams/hour. <br /> <br />Six storms were seeded in February and the following table provides a summary. <br /> <br />The NRCS Snotel and Snowcourse sites chosen to monitor the target area for Snow water equivalent <br />are summarized as McClure Pass 87% of average, North Lost trail 73%, Schofield Pass 84%, Porphyry <br />Creek 91 %, and the basin wide average is 85% of the thirty year average (1971-2000). <br /> <br /> Gunnison County Seeding Operations <br /> Summary of February 2003 <br /> Storm Dates Generators Used Hours <br /> 1 Feb. 2-3 6 74.5 <br /> 2 Feb. 4 3 12.5 <br /> 3 Feb. 13-14 5 67.5 <br /> 4 Feb 16-17 6 61.5 <br /> 5 Feb 17-18 14 166.75 <br />. 6 Feb. 22 9 56.25 <br /> <br />27 <br />