The development of augmentation programs in the Colorado River Basin were authorized by the Colorado River Basan Project Act of 1968. A 10-year moratorium was declared, from the date of the act (September 30, 1968), against making any studies or plans for the importation of water into the Colorado River Basin from any river drainage basin lying outside the natural drainage basin of the Colorado River. This moratorium was then extended to 1992 (USBR reference). Forms of augmentation can range from seeding the clouds with chemicals (geo-engineering) to towing polar iceburgs over great distances to the coastal comunities of warmer climes. Considering sea level rise and energy intensive applications, which are also exceedingly expensive, augmentation programs are a complete waste of time and a distraction from implementing simple and reasonable solutions, which include scaling down our demands from a planet that has a fixed and finite capacity to nurture life.
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