Citation

Jairell R, Schmidt R. APWA Reporter 1993; 61(1): 13-14.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, American Public Works Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article is an overview of longitudinal research on trapping snow with the use of snow fences. Done by the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station under the leadership of Dr. Ron Tabler, the research began in the winter of 1971-72 on a portion of interstate highway opened to traffic the year before. Increasing demand for water stimulated research efforts on the management of snowpacks as a possible means of regulating or increasing water yields. Tabler built a large snow fence along a stream channel to increase snow accumulation on a watershed located on Pole Mountain, east of Laramie, Wyoming. The success of this water augmentation project was linked with a study designed to evaluate the geometry and storage capacities of snow fences as tall as 16 feet. This research led to the design of a snow fence system along Interstate 80 (I-80) west of Laramie.