Regional snow science experts will host a public workshop in Aspen today to provide information on longstanding cloud-seeding operations in the central Rocky Mountains and recent proposals to expand the practice.
The workshop will be held from noon to 4:30 p.m. in the Pitkin County Commissioners meeting room at 530 E. Main St. in Aspen.
Specific topics will include public and ecological safety, increasing local and regional Colorado River water supplies and the economics of snowfall enhancement. Increased cloud seeding has been discussed as a component of drought planning efforts in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
“We are optimistic that these efforts can make a positive difference for water users on the West Slope,” Dave Kanzer, deputy chief engineer for the Colorado River District, said in a statement. “This workshop presents a great opportunity for elected officials and members of the general public to learn more about the science behind these efforts.”
More than 100 cloud-seeding generation sites are dispersed throughout Colorado, including two sites in Pitkin County that have been operating for almost a decade. The Pitkin County commissioners are considering the funding of an expanded seeding program in the area to include the four Aspen-Snowmass ski areas. They currently aren’t seeded.
