Lawmakers ponder Oregon's late interest in cloud seeding

Senate Bill 58 would lay the groundwork for a cloud seeding program without actually appropriating money for the activity, which involves releasing chemical agents into clouds to make precipitation more likely.

Regulators would develop rules for cloud seeding consistent with state water law under the bill, which would also authorize them to contract and fund such projects and related research.

The bill doesn’t propose to allocate a specific dollar amount to cloud seeding efforts, but the rule-making process could impose costs on the state’s Water Resources Department that would be estimated if SB 58 gains traction.

The proposal has so far drawn no objections, either during a March 15 hearing before the Senate Natural Resources Committee or in written testimony submitted to lawmakers.

Existing data has shown that “cloud seeding has results in annual increases in water supplies,” though more research is needed “to determine the precise nature and extent” of the benefit, according to the bill.

“It strikes me I think I was a boy when I first heard about cloud seeding,” said Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, who was born in 1950 and now chairs the committee. “We’re not talking about cutting edge technology.”

While nobody offered an explanation for why the tool is off to a slow start in Oregon, supporters suggest the delay will at least allow the state to learn from its more experienced neighbor to the east.

Cloud seeding has successfully been used to augment water supplies for about 40 years in Idaho, where it’s been known to boost snowpack levels by an estimated 10-15%, said Kelly Simmelink, a Jefferson County commissioner who supports SB 58.

“I believe Idaho has provided a road map to success to having sustainable water sources, healthy rivers and habitat,” Simmelink said.

With the desperate water situation that Central Oregon has experienced in recent years, the bill’s proponents say it’s worth taking a shot at cloud seeding — especially since irrigators are trying everything else.

“Nearly every on-farm conservation method has been administered here in Jefferson County,” which is also broadly replacing open canals with piping to make water go further, Simmelink said.

A drought has already been declared in the county in 2023, for the fourth consecutive year, and its water reservoirs are only filled to 38% of capacity a month before the irrigation season begins, he said.

Last year, roughly 60% of the North Unit Irrigation District sat idle due to insufficient irrigation supplies, said Britton, its executive manager.

The state would be remiss if it didn’t investigate a potential method to alleviate such perennial shortages while also providing needed water for fish, wildlife and recreation, he said.

“Cloud seeding could be a much needed tool to combat drought,” Britton said.