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001677 1. INTRODUCTION This section discusses the need for additional water in the Colorado River Basin, weather modification as a viable alternative for enhancing water supplies, the purpose and overview of the proposed research program, and Reclamation (Bureau of Reclamation) authority for pursuing weather modification investigations. 1.1 Need for Additional Water Data compiled by the GS (Geological Survey) shows that between 19&G85 and 198G90, per capita water consumption in the ~Aited States seven states which rely on the Colorado River, as measured by total withdrawals, almest deijbled! for public supply increased by 3 percent. This finding is especially significant in light of the extensive water conservation efforts undertaken by urban water suppliers and recent severe water shortages in the West. Although the wise use of our water resources is an important national issue, it is vitally important in the arid West served by Reclamation. A 1989 report by the Bureau of the Census projected that by the year 2010, one-third of all Americans will live in the 17 States west of the Mississippi River, the region served by Reclamation. The staff of the House Appropriations Committee recently stated that "water is the most serious, long range problem now confronting the nation-potentially more serious than the energy crisis." This Nation must become wiser and better at water resources management to meet future water needs. Conservation must be a part of our response to water shortages. But conservation alone will not meet all our needs. It is unlikely, for example, to solve water quality problems. The Western States have been experiencing yet another dry period, which continued for 6 yr in some regions. Frequent storm passages during the 1992-93 winter have eased or ended drought conditions in some areas, but other areas will require a number of years with above average precipitation to fully return to normal. Periodic droughts are to be expected in the West. Pronounced natural climatic changes have been postulated by reconstruction of droughts in the Southwest over the past 450 yr. Tree rings and other data have suggested past droughts which were longer and more severe than any experienced this century. The need for new water supplies will be particularly acute if climatic change associated with the greenhouse effect results in a drier West as predicted by some numerical climate models. InCreased population will further strain already limited water supplies. In both the states of California and Nevada, water agencies serving urban residents are seeking ways of further managing water supplies to reduce the likelihood and magnitude of projected water shortages. Both the Las Vegas Valley and the southern California coastal region rely on Colorado River water to meet a portion of their need for water. With the commencement of the operation of Reclamation's Central Arizona Project in 1985, the southern California coastal region lost the dependability associated with over half of its Colorado River supply. As the population of the Las Vegas Valley