Full Breakdown
Drone-Based Cloud Seeding Tested as a Possible Tool to Refill the Great Salt Lake
9/8/2026, 7:44:18 AM
Rainmaker’s Pilot and Planned Expansion
Rainmaker Technology Corporation, a California-based firm founded by Augustus Doricko, announced that its drone-delivered cloud-seeding system generated roughly 19 million gallons (57 acre-feet) of precipitation in a three-hour test over Alaska. The company says the test demonstrates that the technology can be measured and quantified, a prerequisite for evaluating return on investment.
Background: Declining Water Levels
The Great Salt Lake has experienced a prolonged decline in water volume, bringing surface levels close to historic lows. State officials have linked the drop to a combination of drought, water-use demands, and increased evaporation, prompting interest in supplemental water-augmentation strategies.
Official Statements & Responses
Rainmaker’s founder emphasized that the ability to document precipitation volumes is essential for gaining support from decision-makers. Utah meteorologist Jonathan Jennings, speaking for the Utah Division of Water Resources, said the state has completed its “homework” on the technology and considers it safe for people and the environment. He noted that extracting an additional 5 %–10 % of atmospheric moisture could provide “a lot of relief” to Utah’s stressed water supplies over one to two decades.
Criticism & Concerns
Some environmental observers have warned about the cumulative effects of the chemical agents used in cloud-seeding operations. Doricko acknowledged these questions, stating that existing state and federal regulations may need strengthening to ensure responsible and transparent deployment, especially as the United States seeks to lead in weather modification.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We use radar, balloons, drone measurements (and) satellite to find clouds with small drops of cold water — too small to naturally precipitate,” — Augustus Doricko, corporation and founder
- “When you can only nudge a cloud to lightly precipitate more, drizzle more, maybe have a light to moderate flurry of snow, those 57 acre-feet, that's enough for about 50 to 100 acres of dry land farming consumption for a year. That's enough for hundreds of Americans' household annual consumption.” — Augustus Doricko, corporation and founder
- “Fifty-seven acre-feet, or 19 million gallons — being able to prove that is a big deal, but Rainmaker now needs to operationalize and scale this tech so we can deliver tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of acre-feet to the Great Salt Lake Basin and help reduce how fast it's evaporating,” — Augustus Doricko, corporation and founder
- “Over the course or the span of a decade, two decades, it provides a lot of relief in terms of the stress that we're seeing in our water supplies,” — Jonathan Jennings
- “Just to squeeze another 5% or 10% out of the atmosphere is quite a bit and can have a lot of really positive effects here in the state of Utah.” — Jonathan Jennings
- “Although there are state and federal regulations on cloud seeding, there probably should be more to ensure that if America is going to adopt this technology and if America is going to be the leader in weather modification, rather than China, it has to be done responsibly, it has to be done transparently,” — Augustus Doricko, corporation and founder
