our present knowledge, if it is good, and if we find it is not, then we can disregard that phase of our investigation. If it can be made to work in the drier, flatland areas of this country, the returns will result in many times the cost of experimentation and operation and will stabilize those areas that are intermittently dry and wet. In the Great Plains area, if successful, it will mean taking the entire series of States out of the so-called semimarginal and marginal belt. I firmly believe that the work from the Federal angle should remain in the hands of the Advisory Committee on Weather Control, for the following reasons: 1. Since weather modification research and experimentation should be pushed as rapidly as possible, this Committee is in a better position to fulfill this need than any existing agency. It has a well-trained staff of scientists, and they have been spending all their time studying, advising, and carrying on cooperative projects with other agencies. It is their main and only job. 2. They are in a position to evaluate research projects as they are submitted by both the governmental and State agencies, and because of their specialized training and the fact that their entire thinking is in this field and will not be interrupted by other details, they can coordinate and direct a most excellent nationwide research program. 3. To turn this work over to another existing agency would mean slowing down the investigational process, and it eventually could come to a point of elimination. Some agencies of Government could not accept this added responsibility without changing the law under which they operate. This would be difficult to do, and not required if the Committee on Weather Control is continued. All agencies of Government have about all they can do, and I personally know some of them that find it difficult to handle what the Congress has charged them by law to do now. The Advisory Committee on Weather Control is a very active and a going concern, and ready to immediately get into gear and spend their entire thoughts and energy to a sound research and experimentation on weather control. I am not in any way reflecting on the work or abilities of any Federal group or agency. I am saying that I want to again emphasize the fact that the Advisory Committee on Weather Control is a very active and going concern. It was brought into being in August 1953. It got underway some time in 1954 and in this short time has done a marvelous and remarkable piece of work. It would be a very serious mistake to turn this work over to another agency and practically lose the continuity of the program and the results of many projects that are nearing completion. Senator BIBLE. Thank you very much, Dean Eberle. Roughly, what is the average rainfall in the State of South Dakota ? Mr. EBERLE. Well, it varies a great deal with east to west. Probably down in the southeast corner it would be 20 to 24 inches. Up in the northwest corner of our State, outside of the particular little hill sections, we get down to 8 or 10 inches. Senator BIBLE. And in those areas, down to 8 to 10 inches, do I understand that the cloud-seeding experiments, which have been car ried on over the past 4 or 5 years, resulted in a 9-percent increase in that rainfall? Mr. EBERLE. Yes, that is right; 9 percent. That would not be only in the extreme northwest corner, but also in the central part of the State. It is about 14 to 15 inches. Senator BIBLE. And there, too, it has been increased by 10 percent ? Mr. EBERLE. Yes; a little more than an inch of rain through cloud seeding. That is as close as we can come to it. Senator BIBLE. I realize the difficulty in evaluating it. Senator CASE. Mr. Chairman, I want to again indicate my personal appreciation to Dean Eberle for coming here and making his statement. I want to ask: Isn't it true that one of our problems in cloud modification in South Dakota is the variability of the clouds? In some seasons and some years we have conditions which would seem to be more favorable to cloud modification than others. Mr. EBERLE. Yes; that is absolutely right, Senator. Particularly during the summer we are lacking of clouds. We do not have many, but I think the favorable season for seeding in our State is in May and June, particularly, and if we could increase the rainfall in that time it would help a lot and carry us through the July period. Senator CASE. I am interested in what you say about the fall seeding and the fear of farmers of being snowed in. If we were to seed in the earlier part of the fall before the ground has frozen, and before we would have enough cold weather that the snow would stay on the ground, we might get some pretty good results, or usable results? Mr. EBERLE. I believe that is correct. Senator CASE. Even if you got it in the form of snow, if the weather was warm enough so it would thaw in a few days, we would get maximum benefit. Mr. EBERLE. That is correct; and our operator has been doing that this fall. They didn't get started early enough because the contracts weren't completed, but by next fall we will be able to do that. Senator CASE. I recall one season when two different commercial groups were seeding, and there was no coordination between them as to the seeding operations. There was a feeling on the part of some people that the overlapping, perhaps, had bad results rather than good results. Now, is it your feeling that, in a research program such as this proposes, that the Advisory Committee could supervise and coordinate it so that we wouldn't be working at cross purposes, so to speak? Mr. EBERLE. Oh, I definitely feel that is correct. If there is coordination between the Federal Government and the States, and the States have small appropriations, we can have someone take charge which we haven't had in the past. Under the bill that was just passed by us in South Dakota, 10 percent of the money goes for administration, so we could have somebody who would coordinate the activities of the State and Federal Government along that line. Senator CASE. You definitely feel, do you, Dean, that this is one case where it is something that the Government can do better than private individuals, particularly in supervision and in basic research? Mr. EBERLE. I am satisfied on that, in supervision and basic research. There will have to be research done by the States, because each one has peculiar problems, as you mentioned, with movement of clouds, and so forth. Senator BIBLE. Thank you, Dean Eberle. The next witness will be Thomas J. Henderson, of Bishop, Calif. Mr. Henderson. STATEMENT OF THOMAS J. HENDERSON, CHIEF HYDROGRAPHER, CALIFORNIA ELECTRIC POWER CO., RIVERSIDE, CALIF. Mr. HENDERSON. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Thomas J. Henderson. I am chief hydrographer for the California Electric Power Co., Riverside, Calif., and president, Weather Control Research Association, Los Angeles, Calif. The Weather Control Research Association was organized informally in 1951, and adopted a constitution and bylaws in 1954. Article II: Purpose, of this constitution states: The purpose of the organization shall be to provide an opportunity for individuals and organizations interested in weather-modification problems from any viewpoint to meet and exchange information for their mutual benefit. The organization shall also be committed to the following: (a) Encourage scientific research in the investigation of weather modification. (b) Coordinate efforts of different weather-modification projects. (d) Encourage standardization of weather-modification recording procedures. (e) Encourage and promote a high degree of professional conduct on the part of those engaged in weather modification. (f) Render technical assistance to the formulation of legislation pertaining to weather modification. (g) Encourage and promote the scientific evaluation of weather-modification results. We have had about 14 meetings of this association since its formation. During three of those meetings we have had statements from representatives of the Advisory Committee on Weather Control. The statements made by that Committee concerning their investigation have substantiated our belief that cloud-seeding programs can and have resulted in economical precipitation increases in some of the Western States areas. The progress and success of weather modification in these areas has resulted from the persistent belief of private industries that this science has a firm foundation and a promising future. However, in all meetings it has become increasingly apparent there is much need for further laboratory and field research. Recent drought conditions in this country indicate that such research is doubly needed. Legislation which will promote such research, both in the laboratory and in the field, and which supports the purposes of the Weather Control Research Association, has our support. I would like to add that I have been connected with the weathermodification program of the California Electric Power Co. since its beginning on February 2, 1948. This has been a more or less continuous annual program since that time, and was designed to increase precipitation in a small target area on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. I believe this is the longest continuous experimental cloud-seeding program in the world. The first years of the program were analyzed by the United States Weather 3 Bureau, and the results published by the Department of Commerce in Research Paper No. 36. The California Electric Power Co. holds a corporate membership in the Weather Control Research Association and supports the policies of that organization. Senator BIBLE. Who are the members of the Weather Control Research Association? How do you determine its membership? Mr. HENDERSON. The membership is determined simply by anyone who is interested in weather-modification problems. We have about 40 members, individual members. About 10 or 12 are corporate members. They represent not only private industry, but Federal organizations, too, in the West. Senator BIBLE. Do individual farmers belong to the organization? Mr. HENDERSON. That is true. Senator BIBLE. And certain power companies? Mr. HENDERSON. That is true; Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and there are some in Washington and Oregon, too. Senator BIBLE. It is purely a volunteer association? Mr. HENDERSON. Yes; it is. Senator BIBLE. What, in a few words, are the results of that weather modification which you have been engaged in since 1948?— you say it is the longest continuous program. Mr. HENDERSON. The California Electric Power program, you mean? The analysis that the United States Weather Bureau made of the first 3 years of the operation indicated a 9 percent average annual increase in those 3 years, and they have not publicly brought that analysis up to date in the rest of the years following those first 3 years, but we looked at it and the results look about the same to us. Senator BIBLE. It has been in continuous operation since 1948? Mr. HENDERSON. February 2, when we made our first flight; yes, sir. Senator BIBLE. And the small areas are in the neighborhood of Bishop? Mr. HENDERSON. Yes; on the Bishop Creek watershed. That we consider our target area. It is very small, and encompasses only about 30 square miles. Senator BIBLE. Is this a snow-pack modification? Mr. HENDERSON. Yes; it is. About the first 4 years it was on a seasonal basis, October through March. But since that time we have put it on an annual basis, and attempted to increase rainfall in the summer also. Senator BIBLE. With what success? Mr. HENDERSON. We think that 9-percent figure is about right. Senator BIBLE. You believe that is an overall safe figure as to seed modification over a period of 9 years-you have increased the rainfall-snow pack by approximately 9 percent? Mr. HENDERSON. Well, the analysis was figured in terms of annual streamflow, instead of snow pack, but that is the figure that applies to the streamflow, and I think that is a pretty good average annual figure. Senator BIBLE. It has held consistently up at the 9 percent? Mr. HENDERSON. It has varied around that figure. In 1 or 2 years the result appeared to be negative, but in most of the years it was positive, and the average is about 9 percent. Senator BIBLE. Is this a plane operation? Senator BIBLE. Have you tried generators in that area? Mr. HENDERSON. No; we don't think it is feasible because of the wind direction from the west. We would have to put the generators in very rough locations, very difficult to get to. Senator BIBLE. Do you know if there is any legislation on the statutes of California on cloud modification, governed by some overall agency? Mr. HENDERSON. The only legislation that is in effect in California that I know of at the present time is the one which requires licensing of all cloud-seeding activities in that State. That is a pretty general bit of legislation, and only requires you to have a license, and to submit reports to the department of water resources. Senator BIBLE. You secure licenses from the aeronautical agency, or from the water resources department? Mr. HENDERSON. We receive the license from the water resources department. Senator BIBLE. Thank you, Mr. Henderson. Senator Case. Senator CASE. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the privilege and the opportunity to ask a few questions of Mr. Henderson. I think he has presented a very interesting statement here. Mr. Henderson, are you personally in charge of the modification program as carried on by the California Electric Power Co.? Mr. HENDERSON. Yes, sir; that is correct. I might add that I am in charge of the field operations, the actual operations of it. Senator CASE. Have you flown in the planes during the seeding operations? Mr. HENDERSON. Yes; I flew on every flight for 2 years. Mr. HENDERSON. We have been seeding with dry ice at the cloudtop elevation, whatever that may be, and that has varied all the way from 17,000 feet up to as high as 32,000. Senator CASE. I think that is a most interesting activity. Under what conditions of humidity do you find the best results; or are your results related to humidity in our area? Mr. HENDERSON. I think they probably are, though we don't make humidity measurements from the airplane. We have found that the best results, of course, come from clouds that seem to be very wet, but we make no humidity measurements from the airplane, so I cannot really say. Senator CASE. You don't plan to go up so many days a week, but so far as your cloud opportunities present themselves? Mr. HENDERSON. The operation is on a standby situation all of the time, and we depend on observations to tell us when we should go up, just by looking at the clouds. Senator CASE. And the California Electric Power Co. has been paying for this program, itself? Mr. HENDERSON. Yes; they have. 92533-57-3 |