Project Skywater - the Bureau of Reclamation's atmospheric water resources program

A report dealing with the Bureau of Reclamation’s Atmospheric Resources program is presented, for practical applications of weather modification techniques for improving the water supply of the nation. Since its inception in late 1961, Project Skywater, as it is now known, has enjoyed almost a 40-fold increase in efforts embracing a broad spectrum of applied research. The operational research program is divided into three categories: field experiments, field support, and laboratory studies. Descriptions of each of the projects and some of the important results are presented. Field experiments involve investigations of orographic and convective clouds during winter and summer in six major water basins of the West. Field support of various types Is provided by three government agencies. A variety of problems is being studied in the laboratory, including instrumentation, cloud physics and evaluation techniques, many in conjunction with field experiments.