The Colorado River District will double its contributions to a regional cloud seeding program after economic impacts from COVID-19 led to fewer contributions from ski resorts for the program.

At January’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Colorado River District’s Board of Directors, the Board approved a request to increase existing financial commitments from $25,000 per year to $50,000 for the 2021 operating year of the Central Colorado Mountain River Basin cloud seeding program. Since 2012, the River District has managed the program and contributed $25,000 annually.

“The perfect storm has rolled in, resulting in less funding at a time when the program really can’t afford it,” said River District Deputy Chief Engineer Dave Kanzer.

Due to COVID-19 related budget impacts, Vail Resorts, one of the longest-running funders of cloud seeding activities in the central Colorado mountains, terminated support for all cloud seeding efforts in the 2020-2021 season, leaving a $300,000 deficit.

To offset some of the loss of cloud seeding support from Vail Resorts, River District staff worked to bring together new funding sources. Specifically, stakeholders from the Eagle River watershed, including Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority and Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, together agreed to contribute $30,000 to support ongoing cloud seeding activities this season. Additionally, the Front Range Water Council agreed to increase their participation and match all new funding contributed to the cloud seeding program.

For four years Kanzer has managed the program for the River District — with assistance from contracted meteorologists and service providers on behalf of partners including the Front Range Water Council, several ski areas, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Lower Colorado River Basin contributors.

“At the Colorado River District, we recognize that with climate change, our water supply is threatened and cloud seeding is really the only direct technique to increase, or augment, that supply. We need support to be effective, “ said Kanzer.

The purpose of cloud seeding is to increase natural winter precipitation in Colorado’s mountains and improve snowpack.  This enhances spring runoff,  augmenting local stream flows and associated reservoir water storage in the region and enhance flows in the regional Colorado River system.

All cloud seeding activities are regulated and permitted by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources with delegated authority to the Colorado Water Conservation Board. There are currently nine active cloud seeding operational permits in Colorado. The CWCB also provides significant funding to cloud seeding programs. For the cloud seeding programs that benefit the Colorado River Basin, about half of the CWCB cloud-seeding funding support comes via contributions from Lower Basin states that are interested in augmenting Colorado River snowpack to bolster flows in the river.

The Colorado River District will double its contributions to a regional cloud seeding program after economic impacts from COVID-19 led to fewer contributions from ski resorts for the program.

At January’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Colorado River District’s Board of Directors, the Board approved a request to increase existing financial commitments from $25,000 per year to $50,000 for the 2021 operating year of the Central Colorado Mountain River Basin cloud seeding program. Since 2012, the River District has managed the program and contributed $25,000 annually.

“The perfect storm has rolled in, resulting in less funding at a time when the program really can’t afford it,” said River District Deputy Chief Engineer Dave Kanzer.

Due to COVID-19 related budget impacts, Vail Resorts, one of the longest-running funders of cloud seeding activities in the central Colorado mountains, terminated support for all cloud seeding efforts in the 2020-2021 season, leaving a $300,000 deficit.

To offset some of the loss of cloud seeding support from Vail Resorts, River District staff worked to bring together new funding sources. Specifically, stakeholders from the Eagle River watershed, including Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority and Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, together agreed to contribute $30,000 to support ongoing cloud seeding activities this season. Additionally, the Front Range Water Council agreed to increase their participation and match all new funding contributed to the cloud seeding program.

For four years Kanzer has managed the program for the River District — with assistance from contracted meteorologists and service providers on behalf of partners including the Front Range Water Council, several ski areas, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Lower Colorado River Basin contributors.

“At the Colorado River District, we recognize that with climate change, our water supply is threatened and cloud seeding is really the only direct technique to increase, or augment, that supply. We need support to be effective, “ said Kanzer.

The purpose of cloud seeding is to increase natural winter precipitation in Colorado’s mountains and improve snowpack.  This enhances spring runoff,  augmenting local stream flows and associated reservoir water storage in the region and enhance flows in the regional Colorado River system.

All cloud seeding activities are regulated and permitted by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources with delegated authority to the Colorado Water Conservation Board. There are currently nine active cloud seeding operational permits in Colorado. The CWCB also provides significant funding to cloud seeding programs. For the cloud seeding programs that benefit the Colorado River Basin, about half of the CWCB cloud-seeding funding support comes via contributions from Lower Basin states that are interested in augmenting Colorado River snowpack to bolster flows in the river.