WSPC06829 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

000150 II. OVERVIEW CREST is an 8-year, $88 million (FY83 dollars) program designed to demon- strate and quantify the capability of cloud seeding to augment the flow of the Colorado River. The enhancement of winter precipitation in the context of a total water management system for the Basin offers a unique opportunity to increase both the quantity and improve the quality of the water in the river system. It does not preclude continued planning and development of other augmentation alternatives or lessen the commitment of the Department and Reclamation to improved water conservation practices. Cloud seeding has many unique and attractive features. Currently, it appears to be the most cost-effective and most promising means for securing addi- tional water in the Basin. It does not require major permanent construction and large fixed operation and maintenance costs. Moreover, a decision to employ cloud seeding is reversible on a year-to-year basis, or even on a storm-to-storm basis within a season, should Basin hydrology, weather pat- terns, or public response dictate. Consequently, the Bureau of Reclamation is proposing its CREST Program to help alleviate anticipated water shortages in the Bas in. The costs and benefits of cloud seeding change from the CREST Program when demonstration tests are conducted in two subbasins to the time when maximum water augmentation is produced in a Basin-wide operational program. The annual increase in streamflow from the increase in precipitation produced by cloud seeding is estimated to be: - An additional 410,000 acre-feet of water annually during the CREST demonstration period - An additional 2,263,000 acre-feet of water annually during a Basin-wide operational cloud seeding program The additional streamflow will produce benefits through increased hydroelec- tric capacity and energy production, salinity reduction, and additional water supplies for industrial, agricultural and, and recreational use. The bene- fits from this additional steamflow are valued at: - $11.9 million per year durin9 the CREST demonstration period - $139.4 million per year during the subsequent Basin-wide operational cloud seeding program The benefit-to-cost ratio of a Basin-wide operational program is projected to be from 9:1 to 12:1. The CREST Program will consist of cloud seeding conducted in two demonstra- tion projects to confirm and demonstrate the technology under meteorological conditions experienced within the Basin. In addition, studies will be conducted to facilitate transferring the results obtained during CREST for use in the other water-producing Colorado River subbasins. Other major program activities include a comprehensive physical and statistical evalua- tion to quantify the increases in precipitation and streamflow, a study of 7