Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Can cloud seeding save the Colorado River?
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Monday, March 20, 2023
Cloud seeding generator in the Ruby Mountains of Elko, NV. Credit: DRI Science via Flickr ([link removed])

The Southern Nevada Water Authority accepted ([link removed]) a $2.4 million grant from the United States Bureau of Reclamation to fund cloud seeding in neighboring Western states with rivers that feed the drought-stricken region. The funding comes as Colorado River reservoirs reach historic lows, and as the seven basin states continue to negotiate a long-overdue plan for how to conserve 3 to 4 million acre-feet of water, or 30 percent of current usage.

Cloud seeding is a process in which iodide crystals are shot into clouds using planes or ground-based cannons, encouraging gaseous water molecules to condense and fall as precipitation. Several Western states have been practicing cloud seeding for decades, including Utah and Colorado, who each spend about $1.5 million on cloud seeding every year. Scientists seem to agree ([link removed]) that cloud seeding works—regular year-round seeding can add 5 to 15 percent more precipitation from storm clouds.

The funding will go toward using planes to seed clouds in parts of the Upper Colorado River Basin, as well as upgrading manual generators to ones that can be remotely operated. Securing enough generators could be an issue, though, as makers of generators can be hard to find ([link removed]) . Additionally, cloud seeding alone will not yield enough precipitation to ensure that Lake Mead and Lake Powell, two key Colorado River reservoirs, can meet water demands in the West.

“I think a lot of the allure of this type of program is it’s easier to talk about how do we get more than to talk about who has to use less,” said ([link removed]) Kathryn Sorensen of the Kyl Center for Water Policy. Identifying which states need to make the most significant cuts in water use is the basis for the recent failure ([link removed]) among basin states to agree on a mitigation plan—a standstill that continues ([link removed]) to draw negotiations from state leaders.


**
Supreme Court considers Navajo Nation rights to Colorado River water
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Today, the Navajo Nation will face off ([link removed]) with the federal government and a group of states over a “broken promise” over water resources. 30 percent of Navajo Nation citizens have no running water, which the Tribe claims is a violation of an 1868 treaty wherein federal officials said they would provide the Navajo with resources needed for agriculture—a pledge that lawyers for the Tribe say implicitly included a right to sufficient water. Faced with complications of drought, Western states dispute that claim ([link removed]) , saying that more water for the Navajo Nation would cut into already scarce supplies for cities, agriculture, and business growth.

Quick hits


** Feds spend $2.4 million on cloud seeding for Colorado River
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Supreme Court considers Navajo Nation's fight for Colorado River water
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NBC News ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | ABC News ([link removed]) | KUNC ([link removed])


** Polis orders Colorado regulators to set new rules for oil and gas industry to sharply cut ozone by 2030
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** U.S. senators reintroduce bipartisan Outdoor Recreation Act
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Wyoming Public Media ([link removed])


** Mormon church gives water to boost imperiled Great Salt Lake
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Opinion: How big of a climate betrayal is the Willow oil project?
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Heinrich, Stansbury call for blocking mining on New Mexico's Buffalo Tract
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Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])


** Glacier National Park could be a refuge for Canada lynx
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National Parks Traveler ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Every drop really matters.”
—Tina Becenti ([link removed]) , Navajo Nation resident, KUNC
Picture this


** @BLMNational ([link removed])
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Happy first day of spring! 🌷

We're welcoming warmer temperatures, new life, and beautiful splashes of color this season. It's the perfect time to venture outdoors and explore #YourPublicLands. ([link removed])

📷 Bureau of Land Management

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