Terraforming Earth to change the weather?

I once thought of a question that I have never read about. I was wondering if it might be possible and/or cost effective to terraform the Earth or modify it a bit to increase natural resources such as fresh water. For instance if large pumps could transport vast quantities of sea water inland to lower lying areas such as Death Valley or on the other side of the mountains past Morocco and create large inland lakes, could this alter the weather and create a more regular supply of rainfall in surrounding moutain areas?

Such a project might require flooding vast areas and the cost to do so may be much greater than the cost of a desalination plant. However if a large inland lake existed where part of the Sahara currently exists and new rivers and fresh water lakes result from natural processes due to condensation in surrounding mountain areas, I was wondering if such a process might become cost effective.

For this to be even possible, I believe a lot would depend on geography where there has to be enough surface area over an artificial salt water lake for the wind to pick up enough moisture to form storms in surrounding moutain areas and create new rivers of fresh water. Then the fresh water might need to be artificially dammed up to prevent it flowing back into the artificial salt lake.

Has anyone ever thought of this idea or has someone thought of it and simply ruled it out due to the reason that geography won't allow it?