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<br />~; <br /> <br />, <br />., c7.0CL, <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT o' the INTERI <br /> <br />news <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />" <br /> <br />opnCE 1JP TIlE S!CRI!TAllY <br /> <br />r.u.cber - 343-4662 <br /> <br />, <br />, <br /> <br />Por Rel.... June 30. 1971 <br />Ilft!ll.IOR OP'PIClAL SAYS !WI CAlf LOO1 TO CLOUDS POR ADllID WADR SOURCE <br /> <br />Within 10 to 20 ye.r., man vill re.ch into the cloud. for .ignificant <br />nev ..ter .upplie., J.... R. Saith, A..i.t.nt S.cr.t.ry for W.ter and Paver <br />Re.ourcee, Unit.d St.te. Dep.rtment of the Interior, e.id Tue.day during <br />the Eighth World Energy Conf.rence in Buchare.t, Roaani.. <br /> <br />Thi. low-co.t vater, Smith .aid, vill be u.ad to ...t incr.a.ed municip.l <br />and indu.trial need., provide additional irrigation, add to power generation <br />at ezi.ting hydroelectric plant. .nd up grad. asricultural production on non- <br />irrigated land.. <br /> <br />} <br /> <br />In a paper preaented at the Buchareat conference, the Interior Department <br />official noted the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation ia undertaking a major program <br />to develop cloud seeding technique. for precipitation management. <br /> <br />Ezper1mental pilot progr..a of the' Bur. au in Montana and Colorado have <br />indic.ted that, vhen eloud conditiona are favorable, a ..all and inexpensive <br />aeeding treae-ent can re.ult in aignificant and valuable increa.es in orp- <br />cipitation, Saith asserted. <br /> <br />In mountainoua regions of the two .tatea, ~.re anovpack accumulation i. <br />a prUBary vater supply .ource, seeding of vinter .tora. has reaulted in <br />increa.es in average .easonal precipitation of b.tween 10 and 20 percent and <br />increa.es of 100 percent or more fro. aoae clouda or mtora., he added. <br /> <br />Saith told participants in the international energy conference th.t an <br />estt.ated 47 billion acre-feet of vater vapor in the atmoaphere blow. acroa. <br />the United States each year. <br /> <br />Of this amount, he .dded, only about 10 percent--or 4.7 billion acreA <br />feet--fall. in the form of precipitation. <br /> <br />Smith .aid cloud seeding operation. are particularly applicable over <br />large vaterahed. in mountainous areas vhere the runoff into reservoirs vill <br />provide water for multiple purpose. of power generation;' municipal and <br />industrial use and for irrigation and recreation. <br /> <br />)\ <br /> <br />In both vatershed areas of the United States cited by the Interior <br />Department official where the Bureau of Reclamation i. conducting cloud- <br />seeding programs, any increase in runoff vill be into re.ervoir syste.. <br />involved in hydroelectric power generation. 0\ ~ <br />../')~ -", <br />. . ~. I <br />