11/19/09

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ Cloud seeding is no longer considered a
gimmick practiced by miracle healers.

It's now an accepted rite of winter practiced across the state
by utilities and other groups seeking to squeeze more snow from the
atmosphere.

Idaho Power Company spends $1 million annually to seed the
clouds above Idaho's mountains to increase the snowpack that holds
the water that will ultimately drive hydroelectric turbines to
produce cheap power.

But Idaho's biggest utility is not alone, the Idaho Statesman
reports.

A group of eastern Idaho counties and businesses have formed a
coalition that seeds clouds in the Upper Snake River Basin.
Officials estimate their efforts have increased snowpack in the
region by 7 percent.

Cloud seeding involves the spraying silver iodide into clouds, a
process that pulls moisture out to form ice crystals that fall to
earth as snow or rain.
___

Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-11-19-09 1108MST<