The agency that delivers the Colorado River to Phoenix-area and Tucson-area customers has stopped paying into a nearly 20-year-old program to squeeze more snow out of storms over the Rocky Mountains, where most of the river's water starts.
At its early-November meeting, the Central Arizona Project board narrowly voted against paying for the next phase of a cloud seeding partnership in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, KJZZ reported. CAP has been part of the effort since 2007, alongside Las Vegas and Los Angeles water providers and large farm districts in Southern California.
Cloud seeding releases tiny particles into passing clouds. It cannot create new snow, but it can nudge clouds to drop moisture where operators want it. Together, Lower Basin agencies have put roughly $1.5 million a year into the upstream work. Under the next phase, each agency's share would top out at $525,000 a year in 2027, climbing gradually to $750,000 a year by 2036.
Why the board said no
Board members who voted against renewal questioned whether Arizona customers would get their money's worth. "It's hard to see how this is really going to help our customers, especially in the environment that we're working in right now, and our taxpayers," board member Alexandra Arboleda said, according to KJZZ.
Board member Stephen Miller said the science shows seeding works but the results are hard to measure.
CAP's own staff argued the other way. Nolie Templeton, who manages Colorado River policy and analysis for the agency, cited studies suggesting snowpack gains of up to 20% and said seeding could be among the cheapest ways to add water to the basin.
Board member April Tornquist, who voted to keep funding it, said her main worry was whether Arizona would see any share of the added water from Upper Basin states.
