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<br />o <br />-.J <br />~ <br />OQ were used. Elsewhere in the Upper Basin, substitution of ground water for <br />surface water use by EETs would probably have relatively little impact since <br />the incremental effect of surface water consumption by EETs was estimated <br />to be rather nominal. <br /> <br />Impacts of Weather Modification. The primary economic and social <br />impacts associated with winter orographic cloud seeding would stem from <br />the increased snowfall to which it leads. Insofar as beneficial impacts <br />are concerned, it is the winter sports industries and recreationists who <br />stand to gain the most. On the other side of the ledger, increased snow- <br />fall can have disadvantages. Among these would be increased snow removal <br />costs, increased avalanche control costs, potential damage to agricultural <br />enterprises such as fruit orchards (whose trees could be injured by heavy <br />snow), possible delays for ranchers attempting to graze animals in high <br />pastures during the spring, and possible increases in costs for mining and <br />timbering operations. <br /> <br />With respect to the ecological impacts of increased snowfall, most <br />attention to date has been focused on animals that must graze and browse <br />during the winter, such as deer and elk. For these animals, heavier snows <br />could force them to remain nor longer periods on lower elevation winter <br />ranges than would otherwise be the case, thus reducing the forage produced <br />by such areas. In turn, reductions in herd size might result over the <br />long run. Increases in snowfall might also cause the forest boundary to <br />retreat over time, thus encouraging larger areas of tundra to develop. <br />Such changes in vegetation, should they occur, might in turn affect the <br />herbivores which are dependent upon the forest ecosystem for their sustenance. <br /> <br />With respect to increased runoff, impacts on both fishery resources and <br />instream recreational opportunities could be experienced. Insofar as stream <br />fisheries are concerned, increased runoff would affect not only physical <br />conditions, but possibly chemical and temperature parameters as well. The <br />consequences of such changes are largely unknown, however, and would certainly <br />be site specific. <br /> <br />With respect to theiimpacts of increased runoff on instream recreational <br />opportunities, such increases would probably be advantageous as a general <br />rule. This is because rafting and kayaking activities are more frequently <br />limited by low flows than by flows which are too large. Particularly <br />advantageous would be any increase in the period of time over which the <br />spring snowmelt occurred, since this would tend to dncrease the amount of <br />time during which boating activities could be carried out. <br /> <br />Impacts of Improving the Efficiency of Municipal Water Use. As noted <br />previously, improvements in the efficiency of municipal uses would represent <br />a significant means of increasing the supply of water available for EETs only <br />insofar as exports of water out of the Upper Basin might be reduced. Thus, <br /> <br />cxxi <br />