Making It Rain

MARTIN: Colorado has been dealing with drought issues for years now. Water was already a precious commodity but as another year looms with no real indication of any easing of conditions scientists are looking hard at alternatives.

GRAY: The concept of cloud seeding is not new but a new study out of Wyoming of the possibilities for Colorado is being welcomed. Cloud seeding involves injecting tiny, microscopic silver iodide particles into clouds which allows ice crystals to form essentially creating snow.

MARTIN: The interesting thing is that there has never really been definitive proof that cloud seeding worked although many ski resorts, farmers and more believe in the practice. The Wyoming legislature took some $14 million dollars from oil and gas severance taxes and requested a study that employed the latest scientific techniques recommended by the NRC panel, as well as an independent evaluation team.

GRAY: The 10-year study found that seeding the right storms the right way can produce 5 to 15 percent more precipitation which could increase streamflows by as much as 3.7 percent. The study also found seeding to have next to no downwind impact, suggesting seeding storms to get precipitation in one place is not decreasing precipitation elsewhere.

MARTIN: There is still a lot of work to be done but with modern data modeling programs for weather conditions and just a little bit of luck, cloud seeding just might be able to get a bit more moisture on the ground or into the rivers that feed the state.

And that's Colorado Ag Today. I'm Greg Martin, thanks for listening on the Ag Information Network of the West.