What Happened?
Nevada is considering legislation to support cloud seeding operations as a drought relief initiative. Many other states and municipalities have invested in similar technologies to combat the impacts of climate change.
Goal
The Nevada Senate Finance Committee is evaluating the merits of new legislation that would help fund cloud seeding projects across the state. If passed, $500,000 would be allocated to the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to provide grants for cloud seeding programs, GovExec reported.
Cloud seeding projects are designed to manipulate weather systems to generate more precipitation to combat persistent drought conditions. For the last several years, Nevada and many states in the west have experienced record-low rainfall and snowpack in the mountains. The local water supplies are under strain from residential and agricultural demands, and if levels gets too low the region is left vulnerable to wildfires or long-term ecological setbacks, GovExec reported.
The bill would provide funding to the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to award grants to local government entities – municipalities, water authorities, irrigation districts - that can provide matching funds to launch cloud seeding efforts.
According to testimony in favor of the cloud seeding bill, the initiatives could produce between 82,000 acre feet and 153,220 acre feet of water each year. The U.S. Drought Monitor reported 99 percent of Nevada is experiencing some form of drought conditions, and the average U.S. home consumes more than 300 gallons of water per day, or about 109,500 annually. Each one acre foot is equal to 325,851 gallon s of water.
What Is Cloud Seeding?
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique designed to generate more precipitation from clouds by spreading dry ice or silver iodide aerosols into the highest region of clouds to stimulate the precipitation process to generate rain or snow.
By dispersing these substances into storm patterns, scientists aim to create cloud condensation which would manipulate the microphysical processes within the cloud to stimulate rain or snowfall. Cloud seeding places ice nuclei into clouds which water in the atmosphere condenses around. The ice nuclei can be salts, calcium chloride, dry ice or silver iodide, Science.com reported.
There are three main cloud seeding methods currently practiced:
- Static cloud seeding: Spreading a chemic into clouds to help existing moisture condense
- Dynamic cloud seeding: Boosting vertical air currents to enable more water to pass through clouds and turn into precipitation
- Hygroscopic cloud seeding: Dispersing salts through flares or explosives in the lower portions of the clouds to attract water
Researchers are experimenting with aircraft cloud seeding practices, as well as techniques that involve drones instead for increased safety.
Wyoming Says Yes
Wyoming spent $14 million on a 10-year study to determine how effective cloud seeding tactics could be in increasing snowfall from winter storms. The study revealed a 3 percent increase in precipitation after cloud seeding efforts were analyzed, indicating some hope for drought relief, High Country News reported.
As a result, the Wyoming legislature approved a $1.4 million cloud seeding program designed to increase the amount of snowpack in the state, which is a main source of water for residents and businesses. The goal of the program would be to increase overall precipitation by 5% to 10% in the Big Horn, Laramie, Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre mountains, KGWN reported.
Also out West, the Idaho legislature is considering Senate Bill 1100 which would enable water districts to use money from user assessments to pay for cloud seeding projects. Currently, water authorities cannot use money from user assessments to fund these types of initiatives, but the prolonged drought-like conditions are placing too great a strain on local water supplies. The legislation would put it to a user vote to determine how money from assessments can be used by water authorities, Capital Press reported.
Currently, several regions in Idaho have been funding cloud seeding initiatives through money from districts’ rental pools. Because these funding sources are limited, water authorities are seeking new financial sources and partnerships to fuel cloud seeding projects. If Water District 63 in the Boise River basin, for example, could team up with Idaho Power on cloud seeding projects, an estimated 200,000 acre feet of runoff water could be generated annually, Capital Press reported.
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