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Show PART IV MEANS FOR MEETING NEEDS Snow management in the alpine zone as an operational tool offers promise for improving timing of water yields. Research is actively being pursued in the Rocky Mountains to develop methods for controlling snow accumulation and snowmelt. Current techniques involve installation of snow fences, avalanche control, and application of materials to retard evaporation and control rate of snowmelt. The Bureau of Reclamation, in cooperation with several agencies including the Forest Service and the Soil Conservation Service, is experimenting with cloud seeding and precipitation augmentation methods under the Atmospheric Water Resources Project. The National Weather Service is also conducting research on weather modification. Weather modification is still in the research stage although an anticipated increase in snowfall of 15 percent is expected. Benefits of the program will reach into states of other regions from the increased flow of the Colorado River. Expenditures for the federal weather modification research program in FY 1969 totaled $11,000,000. From this total $6,000,000 was allotted specifically to precipitation modification, $5,000,000 being directed to the Bureau of Reclamation. Appendix V, Water Resources, gives more information on weather modification. 76 |