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EDITOR’S NOTE: “From the Field” is a weekly feature bringing you the latest agriculture news in eastern Idaho.
IDAHO FALLS – Amid one of the worst water years on record, the Idaho Water Resource Board is looking to expand its cloud seeding program.
A partnership between the IWRB, Idaho Power and water users from four major river basins statewide make up the Idaho Collaborative Cloud Seeding Program. Since 2015, cloud seeding operations have been conducted annually from November through April. The program utilizes a series of ground generators and aircraft to augment the water supply by seeding clouds with silver iodide.
Of the 57 ground generators in the state, 25 are located in eastern Idaho. Airborne operations consist of three aircraft, one of which is in the Upper Snake region. The program also supports seven liquid propane generators in the Central Mountains.
During a committee meeting in Rexburg on Aug. 5, the IWRB approved the addition of a second aircraft for the Upper Snake River Basin. Cloud seeding program manager Nick Banish was the main presenter. He was not available for comment on Tuesday, but in meeting notes, he says the second plane is in response to current water conditions.
After the second warmest year on record since 1896, snowpack levels are at record lows. Natural flows and reservoir storage rapidly declined this summer. By July, streamflow projections dropped to 50% of normal during peak irrigation demand. As of Aug. 10, the IWRB reports that Upper Snake reservoirs are at 31% capacity and are being drained at 24,000 acre-feet per day.
“I’m expecting that we’ll be out of storage by the end of August,” IDWR Eastern Regional Manager James Cefalo says in a news release.
Water Projects section manager Wesley Hipke tells EastIdahoNews.com the addition of a second aircraft will increase their cloud-seeding capacity by 30%.
“One aircraft can hit about 60% of seedable storms,” Hipke says. “A second aircraft increases coverage to an estimated 90% of seedable storms.”
Cloud-seeding can only happen under the right conditions. The idea, according to Hipke, is to “squeeze the clouds” to increase rainfall by 5-10%. Hipke says it requires a certain amount of “supercooled water” to make snow.
The severity of a storm can also vary and having a second aircraft will allow them to cover a larger area in a shorter amount of time and be more adaptable to changing weather conditions.
Although there was a lack of storms this winter, Hipke says “a small amount (of water obtained through cloud seeding) makes a big difference in the really low water supply years.”
“The amount of storms that occur this year could really vary, but if we can increase whatever is there by 30%, that ends up being a significant difference that could really help if we go into another dry season,” says Hipke.
The estimated cost of securing another airplane and hiring another meteorologist is $968,000. The board is working with Idaho Power to buy a plane before seeding begins in November.
Idaho also collaborates with the State of Utah for cloud seeding operations. In 2025, the IWRB launched a pilot program with the Utah Division of Water Resources and its contractor, Rainmaker Technology Corporation, to seed clouds in the Bear River Basin using drones.
“The pilot project aimed to mitigate drought conditions, provide additional water supply to water users, and assist in replenishing Utah’s Great Salt Lake by deploying drones to enhance regional snowpack,” IWRB member Caitlyn Swanson wrote in meeting notes.
RELATED | Great Salt Lake has already reached its max height for the year
The IWRB contributed $950,000 to the $3.5 million project, but the lack of snowfall this winter left little opportunity for cloud seeding or evaluation.
During the Aug. 5 meeting, the board agreed to continue the pilot program for a second year, emphasizing that cloud-seeding operations focus on water storage in the Bear Lake area. It’s contributing another $1.2 million towards the project.
“We’ll be looking at generators, aircraft and drones and evaluating where we can get the most bang for our buck,” Hipke explains.
‘It’s a pretty good bang for the buck’
Cloud-seeding operations in Idaho date back to the 1950s, but it didn’t become a state-sponsored program until 2015 when the Idaho Collaborative Cloud Seeding Program was formed. Banish says in meeting notes that it’s the fourth-longest continuously running cloud seeding program in the nation.
RELATED | The man who brought cloud-seeding to Idaho was at the center of a D-Day forecast feud
Hipke says conversations about water augmentation arose from the water dispute between surface water users in Magic Valley and groundwater users in eastern Idaho. The parties reached an agreement that year — which was renegotiated in 2024 — and the cloud seeding program was a natural extension of that conversation.
Before that, Hipke says private companies like Let It Snow, LLC, began cloud seeding operations in 1997. Idaho Power started cloud seeding in the Payette River Basin in 2003. It expanded into the Upper Snake Basin in 2008, according to its website.
Over the years, some have expressed opposition to cloud-seeding, claiming that harmful chemicals are involved or that silver iodide has adverse environmental effects, but Hipke says that’s not the case.
“In large quantities, silver iodide can cause harm,” Hipke says. “Most studies are looking at parts per trillion. The amount of silver that cloud seeding is putting into the air … is (equivalent to) putting a couple drops in the ocean. It’s such a small amount that it would be really hard to detect. Over time, it still doesn’t add up to a very large amount.”
Although officials continue to refine their methodology for evaluating effectiveness, Hipke says cloud seeding remains an affordable way to augment water supplies, which is critical for Idaho’s future.
“There was a lot of conversation (at the Aug. 5 meeting) about whether cloud seeding is worth it,” says Hipke. “With the data we have right now, it’s a pretty good bang for the buck, which is why we’re still supportive of it.”
WATCH THE MEETING IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.
AG AT-A-GLANCE
Idaho grain crops rebound better than expected following harsh winter
The following is an excerpt from a news release from the University of Idaho.
IDAHO FALLS – The 2026 growing season has brought devastating losses for many grain farmers across southern and eastern Idaho, but overall damage could have been much worse, according to a University of Idaho researcher.
The combination of drought stress, frost damage and elevated pest and disease pressure following an unusually warm, dry winter forced many regional farmers to mow down large acreages of fall wheat and barley rather than continue raising them. Other cereal fields, however, have recovered surprisingly well.
“In some cases, it’s been as bad as you can imagine, with farmers having to mow, while in other cases some of the worst outcomes have been avoided depending on when and where the crop was planted,” said U of I College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Professor Juliet Marshall, associate director of the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station and an Extension cereals specialist. “Overall, the crops recovered quite a bit more than I ever expected.”
Early-planted fall grains suffered the greatest damage.
Read the full story here.
Sampling shows another decline in Snake River quagga mussel population
The following is an excerpt from a news release from the Idaho State Dept. of Agriculture.
BOISE – The Idaho State Department of Agriculture announced Monday that extensive sampling shows quagga mussel detections in the Snake River once again have decreased from the previous year. Currently, ISDA is detecting 77% fewer veligers than in 2025.
As the mussel population in the Mid-Snake River decreases, ISDA has increased diving efforts and even more targeted approaches to earlier detections.
“Other states have shown us what happens when invasive mussel infestations are allowed to establish before action is taken,” said Governor Brad Little. “Those delayed responses have resulted in significant long-term management costs coming directly out of taxpayer pockets. Idaho has set the standard by responding aggressively. Our responsible strategy on the Snake River is proving to be effective, and we will continue making decisions that give us the best opportunity to eliminate quagga mussels to protect Idaho’s waters and the people who depend on them.”
Read the full story here.
If you have a From the Field story idea, send it to rett@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use ‘From the Field’ in the subject line.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
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- First farm labor reform bill in 40 years could be a game-changer for Idaho’s dairy industry
The post Desperate for water, Idaho looks to cloud seeding for a boost appeared first on East Idaho News.
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