Ag department awards grant for cloud-seeding

AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs last week announced that 10 groups, including the local groundwater district, have received matching grants from the Texas Department of Agriculture to conduct weather modification or precipitation enhancement over almost one-third of Texas, covering 51 million acres from the High Plains to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

The Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District, which includes Donley County and is based in White Deer, was awarded $183,412.

Precipitation enhancement, also known as cloud-seeding, stimulates clouds to generate more rainfall than normally produced. Rainfall is maximized from clouds through the introduction of seeding agents, such as silver iodide. The 77th Legislature moved the grant portion of the weather modification program from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission to TDA on Sept. 1. The program’s permitting and licensing section, which authorizes political subdivisions to conduct cloud seeding, was also moved Sept. 1 from TNRCC to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

“Precipitation enhancement is an integral part of the state’s long-term water management plan,” Combs said.

“Many districts involved in precipitation enhancement have seen positive results. For example, the Colorado River Municipal Water District in Big Spring has compared seeded years with unseeded years from 1971 to 1990 and found rainfall totals to be 2 ½ to 4 inches above normal during seeded years. During this same time frame, cotton yields were 64 percent above normal during seeded years.

“In addition to higher crop yields, precipitation enhancement can improve grazing conditions for livestock, reduce irrigation costs, and improve water quality. The practice also helps to increase rainfall runoff into reservoirs and aquifers.

“The High Plains Water District has estimated that increased crop yields resulting from one inch of extra rain at the right time on major crops in the area could have a market value of about $81 million with a regional economic impact of about $284 million,” Combs said.

TDA has awarded 10 grants totaling $1,933,197 for fiscal year 2002 to the following programs, which match the grants dollar-for-dollar:

•  Val Verde County Commissioner’s Court in Del Rio — $151,504.

•  Colorado River Municipal Water District in Big Spring — $89,658.

•  Edwards Aquifer Authority in Hondo — $254,874.

•  Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District in Pleasanton — $154,523.

•  High Plains Underground Water Conservation District in Littlefield — $240,000.

•  Irion County Water Conservation District in San Angelo — $224,936.

•  North Plains Groundwater Conservation District in Dumas — $186,700.

•  Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District in White Deer — $183,412.

•  West Central Texas Council of Governments in Abilene — $222,159.

•  Wintergarden Groundwater Conservation District in Cotulla — $225,431.