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creased precipitation from analyzing those results. This program is an ongoing program, funded at a rate of about $1 Qillion a year and is serving to increase the level of understanding of cloud seeding in the Colorado River Basin, preparatory to authori- zation of the CREST program. Its findings and benefits will be incorporated into the CREST program when that progr~~ is under- taken. Colorado River Enhanced Snowpack Test (CREST) Program John Lease reported that the USBR is currently in the stage of developing the financing and political support for this pro- gram. The USBR has asked the states to agree on a source of funding for the program. The USBR has met with all th~ Basin states and the power users, and has received comments from them. The comments are supportive of the program but there are some caveats to that support. The comments state that the CREST program should be 100 percent federally funded as it is a federal obligation to conduct the study as per the commit- ments made in Public Law 90-537. The Upper Basin states comments were firm on the 100 percent federal funding issue, and Lease said .that the Lower Basin states COmments indicated a willingness for the states to share in the cost of the pro- gram. Lease said that the USBR is now trying to develop a response to the states' comments. Cloud Seeding in Wilderness Areas John Lease reported that about 30 percent of the high yielding areas for cloud" seeding in the Upper Colorado River Basin are in wilderness areas, and there is a need to measure hydrometeorological data in the wilderness areas in order to quantify the effect of cloud seeding. He reported on the Inter- agency group that is working on the assess~ent of the need for such data collection and the cost of putting hydrometeorological instruments in the wilderness areas. He reported that there is a good spirit of cooperation among the group. The final report on the group's activities will probably be out about July 1985. Lease stated that the benefits to the CREST program from data collection in the wilderness areas are obvious but the bene- fits to the National Weather Service and Soil Conservation Service is not as obvious. Those agencies say that they need about 16 more sites in the wilderness areas of the Colorado River Basin. Through use of the proposed dense network for CREST, the National Weather Service estimates it could improve its computer model of the run- off forecast to the extent that water availability in the Basin could be increased by as much of half a million acre-feet a year. Adjournment The Task Committee meeting was adjourned at 12:05 p.m. After adjournment and during the subsequent meetings of PSIAC, the Chair- man, on behalf of the Task Committe~ accepted an assignment to obtain comments from the states on the USFS proposed plan of study of the feasibility of vegetation management to increase runoff in ~-q -^-