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State meteorologist urges expansion of drone cloud seeding; contractor modeling suggests large but uncertain gains

Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Appropriation Subcommittee (Utah Legislature) · February 5, 2026
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Summary

Jonathan Jennings of the Division of Water Resources described drone-based cloud seeding and said contractor modeling shows potential increases of 50,000–120,000 acre-feet in pilot basins; he cited modeled costs of $22–$47 per acre-foot and argued drone operations are materially cheaper than aircraft.

The committee heard a request to expand cloud-seeding work that would extend a Bear River Basin pilot into areas that feed the Great Salt Lake. Jonathan Jennings, a meteorologist with the Utah Division of Water Resources, said operational programs worldwide report precipitation increases of roughly 5%–15% from cloud seeding, and he described recent contractor…

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