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<br />. ""'0.'" 0 <br />.1. ( I U <br /> <br />r, <br /> <br />Padfic Southwest Inter-Agency <br />~l~tee (PSIAC) <br /> <br />The study of water requirements in the Colorado River l-]asin on <br />a state-by-s~~te basis for the next 15 years, begun in 1973, was <br />cG',]pleted early in 1974. The prelii:]inary res';llts of this aPl?raisal <br />of w~ter requirements were then used by a spec~al task force ~n <br />dE,tel';nining the adequacy of the Colorado River Basin's water resources <br />and data. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />In 1974, PSIAC adopted aiilendments to its charter which will <br />result in its subcrunmittees being required to initiate work programs <br />th~t will be addressing issues of current concern to the states of <br />the P'3.cific Southwest. Also adopted was a specific worlc program <br />covering such issues as the impacts of oil shale and coal develop'aents <br />on salinity, the revegetation of strip-mined areas, and the adequacy <br />of hydrologic data within the Colorado River Basin. <br /> <br />PSIAC agreed to become the regional sponsor for the 1975 <br />Ji'O,tioI1al Assessment, and the \'later Resources Council agreed to fund <br />t,he necessary services in preparing the regional analyses portion of <br />the i'lationa}, Assessment. The viOrk by PSIAC vlould be done by four <br />Study Directors, one for each Region in the Par:ific Southwest. The <br />C~lncil would fund separately each of the four Regions. <br /> <br />\l8ather Modificat,ion Activities <br /> <br />The activities involved in setting up the Colorado River Basin <br />Pilot Project and the results of the first three years of oiJerations <br />c>.re described in the 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973 Annual Reports of the <br />Colorado River Board. This pilot project, located in the San Juan <br />I'Iountains of southwestern Colorado, is designed to determine the <br />ffiilount of additional streamflow that can be expected from increasin['; <br />tLe ,~inter -sn01'lpac!.,the cost of the additional \'later, the benefits <br />that can be exper:ted, and t,he impact of the additional snovlfall and <br />r'lnoff on the en'lironment. The experimental area covers 1,200 <br />squ2re ]!liles, is not densely populated, and is located where seedable <br />stor;,j" occur frequently and where much of the snowpack shows up as <br />spring runoff into the Colorado Hiver. <br /> <br />Seeding operations began in the 1970-71 winter season, following <br />sevcC'al years of equipment installation and testing. i~o statistically <br />significant results \Vere obtained from the first, second, third, and <br />, fourth years of operation. The fifth season of operations, which began <br />in i,lovei-,lber 1974, nJay be the final one for which data will be collect,ed. <br />After that, the project will be evaluated by an independent investigator <br />whose report should be completed one year after the conclusion of the <br />fifth season. <br /> <br />As was the case for the first two seasons, the fourth season also <br />produced belmv normal snowfall, and the data collected to date has not <br />been sufficient, to identify the effects of seeding with any degree of <br /> <br />- 29 - <br />