Cloud Seeding to be Discussed
At its April 16 meeting, the Glasscock Groundwater Conservation District's Board of Directors will discuss whether to continue participation in the West Texas Weather Modification Association. Director Dennis Seidenberger reported at the district' s March 19 meeting that several people have told him they think Glasscock County should pull out of the organization, whose primary function is cloud seeding. Directors Larry Wheat, Kenneth Braden and GGCD Manager Rick Harston said they had received no comments lately regarding the matter. Directors Mike Hughes and Zane Eoff were absent from the meeting.
According to Harston, the district has been active in the program since March, 1996 and has spent $157,195 to date in the effort to produce more rain by seeding clouds. He said since 1997, the program has cost the district slightly more than four cents per acre per year in Glasscock County and two cents per acre for its area in Reagan County. GGCD pays WTWMA $26,582 per year. Half of WTWMA's funding comes from the state, and is available through this year. But Harston says future state assistance may decrease.
Plane in Midland Could Help Glasscock County
WTWMA has five planes, four of which are currently operational. One plane is undergoing an $8,000 repair due to unexplained loose metal inside the engine. GGCD's directors have been hopeful that with more planes in use (especially one recently stationed in Midland) and better radar coverage, Glasscock County would gain more benefit from the seeding. They have voiced concern that in the past, clouds are often seeded too far east to do much good here.
Directors present at the meeting voiced hesitancy to pull out of the WTWMA now, just when things seem to be looking better for seeding operations in the county. Wheat said he isn't sure it's helping us so far, but said it doesn't cost much, either. Braden said he would like to see the program go longer, and Seidenberger said, "I feel like we're just before making a difference." They agreed that when there are no clouds, seeding can’t be done. They also agreed that any decrease in state funding would seriously jeopardize the cloud seeding effort, because individual counties would have to come up with too much money.
There are 11 weather modification programs in the state, and Harston said as state funds get tighter due to a state budget deficit of perhaps as much as $5 billion, programs like weather modification and brush control are likely to suffer. He said West Texas has lost most of its friends in state government, and unless more people are educated about rural needs, we may lose valuable funding as more legislative decisions are made to favor heavily populated urban areas.
Harston reported that the Region F Water Planning Commission will ask for $1 million in funding from the state, which would be split between 16 counties. He said in his opinion, the commission has done little except make lots of money for consultants.