Tahoe-Truckee Cloud Seeding Project Water Year 2018 1 DRI Cloud - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Tahoe-Truckee Cloud Seeding Project Water Year 2018 1 DRI Cloud - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Dec 28, 2022 186 likes •423 views

Tahoe-Truckee Cloud Seeding Project Water Year 2018 1 DRI Cloud seeding generator: on (Sierra Crest Tahoe Winter Snowfall - 2015-2018 Lake Tahoe Basin Snow Water Equivalent by Water Year WY2017 WY2016 median WY2018 74% median WY2015

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SLIDE 1

Tahoe-Truckee Cloud Seeding Project

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DRI Cloud seeding generator:

  • n (Sierra Crest

Water Year 2018

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SLIDE 2

Tahoe Winter Snowfall - 2015-2018

Lake Tahoe Basin Snow Water Equivalent by Water Year

WY2018 74% median WY2017 WY2016 WY2015 median

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SLIDE 3

Tahoe Winter 2017-2018

Median WY2018(74%)

  • Nov (11%), (9%)
  • Dec (25%), (2%)
  • Jan (31%), (11%)
  • Feb (24%), (4%)
  • Mar (9%), (48%)*

* “Miracle March” Snow Water Equivalent by Month

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SLIDE 4

Tahoe Winter 2017-2018 Temperature Anomalies

Dec 2017 Jan 2018 Feb 2018 Mar 2018

OF

+5oF +8.5oF +2oF +1oF

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SLIDE 5

Lake Tahoe Depth (Tahoe City Gauge)

Natural Rim 6,223’ MSL Top of dam 6,229’ MSL Lake Tahoe surface - 122,200 acres

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SLIDE 6

Cloud seeding to increase mountain snowfall over the Tahoe-Truckee Basin

Sierra Crest Carson Range Generator

Clouds colder than -5oC (23F) containing subfreezing water drops

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Clouds seeding aerosol - Silver Iodide (AgI)

  • Naturally occurring
  • Lattice structure similar

to ice, creates ice crystals at warmer temperatures

  • Safe for the environment

AgI

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SLIDE 8

DRI Remote Controlled Cloud Seeding Generator

Clouds seeding generator - Silver Iodide (AgI)

Fall installation

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SLIDE 9

Tahoe-Truckee Cloud Seeding WY2018 Project Summary

Smaller-scale project for WY 2018 using the unused cloud seeding solution remaining from WY2017. (Cloud seeding project was suspended in early January 2017 due to deep snowpack and forecasts of heavy precipitation). Primary Sponsor – Western Regional Water Commission ($100,000) Additional Sponsor – Mt Rose Ski Resort ($2,500)

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WY 2018 Tahoe-Truckee network

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CSG

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Tahoe-Truckee Project WY2018

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October and November 2017

  • All cloud seeding generators were visited. The cloud seeding equipment was tested

and made fully operational, Barker Pass generators reinstalled per USFS permit.

  • All installed WRWC gauges were visited and serviced for the Water Year

measurements. December 2017 – Began informally watching the weather for seedable storms, Mt Rose joined the program. January – February 2018 – Official 24/7 forecasting and equipment maintenance

  • ccurred.
  • Daily Forecast Discussions
  • Weekly equipment testing
  • Field maintenance when required
  • 24/7 cloud seeding operations when required

March 2018 – Official program extended for one month at no additional cost to sponsor April – June 2018 – End of season generator maintenance and equipment removal from

  • field. Data analysis of weather data and seeding operations, equipment reliability, and

calculations of cloud seeding SWE increases.

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SLIDE 12

Tahoe-Truckee Project Summary WY2018

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  • 23 cloud seeding events
  • 524 total generator hours
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SLIDE 13

Tahoe-Truckee Project Summary WY2018 Cost/Benefit

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  • Calculated additional SWE

(9,628 acre-feet (AF))*

  • Cost/benefit $10.65 acre-

ft**

  • *3.3 billion gallons (if all added to river, enough for ~24,000 Truckee Meadows Households)
  • ** Seeding solution cost not included in WY2018 project costs
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SLIDE 14

Validation WY2018

  • Cloud Seeding
  • perational efficiency

(89%)

– Winds favorable to deliver cloud seeding plume into target area – Temperatures in cloud favorable for successful cloud seeding – Supercooled (T<0oC) liquid water in clouds

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SLIDE 15

WY 2018 Validation Snow

C T C C T

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Validation Snow Tahoe Winter 2017-2018

Mt Rose SWE (in) 8,800’ MSL

Echo Pk SWE (in) 7,653’ MSL CSS SWE (in) 6,894’ MSL Truckee2 SWE (in) 6,509’ MSL March 16.5” March 12.8” March 14.3” March 8.3” Target area Target area Control area Control area

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SLIDE 17

WRWC Gauge Network

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Sierra Nevada

Ruby Mtns Toiyabe Tahoe/Truckee Carson Walker Mt Charleston Tuscarora Mtns. Humboldt Santa Rosa Mtns.

WY2019 Nevada State Program

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State Funded Portion - Tahoe-Truckee Project WY2018 – Full Program using 3 generators

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  • Purchase consumables 3 gen. (silver iodide,

etc.)

  • Preseason site visits to fill generators and to

make equipment operational

  • Install Barker dual generators
  • Nov 1 – May 15 – 24/7 weather

forecasting/cloud seeding operations

  • Full time generator maintenance and servicing
  • Project data analysis, SWE increase estimates,

final report preparation

  • End of season site takedown
  • Pull Barker dual generators off site for summer

storage *Potential for about 11,000 acre-ft SWE on average winter

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SLIDE 20

WRWC Partner with the State Program?

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  • Adopt 2 Tahoe generators
  • Site preparation
  • All consumables
  • Parts (repairs)
  • Servicing trips
  • Data

collection/management

  • Communications
  • End of season take down.
  • $25K per generator
  • Potential to increase SWE by

more than 7,000+ acre-ft at cost of $7 acre-ft to WRWC with State Program in place

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SLIDE 21

WY 2018 Tahoe-Truckee network

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CSG

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SLIDE 22

Budget to operate the Echo and Morattini Flats Generators

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SLIDE 23

Thank You !

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Any questions/comments?