OCR Text |
Show Weather Modification Program Under Study An intensive federal and state evaluation is being made of Utah's winter weather modification program. The federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded $600,000 to the Division of Water Resources, Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy, to help accomplish the evaluation. The evaluation, being conducted in the Tushar Mountains near Beaver began Jan. 15 and will continue through March 15. This winter, only limited cloud seeding is being done by the state, and none in drainages that would add water to the great Salt Lake or Utah Lake. A cooperative state-county operational winter weather modification program has been conducted with matching state funds since 1975 in most of Sanpete, Sevier and Piute counties, plus portions of Juab, Carbon, Grand, ;Millard, Emery, Wayne, Beaver, Iron, San Juan, Washington and Garfield counties. The program started in 1973 with county funding. Covering approximately 10,000 square miles. This state-county effort is considered the largest In wintertime weather modification operation in the U.S. The program seeks to increase snowpack in higher mountains as an economical way to supplement water supplies in selected areas. The federal and state evaluation near Beaver will attempt to develop technology for cost effective evaluation of other similar programs in the U.S., as recommended in the 1978 Report of the Department of Commerce Weather Modification Advisory Board. |