Engineering Commons^™

Advancing Near Surface Soil Moisture Measurements Using Robotics, Automation, And Remote Sensing, Hemanth Narayan Dakshinamurthy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Near-surface soil moisture, or the water content within the soil, is important for understanding the interactions between land and the atmosphere, and for monitoring plants in agricultural settings. However, soil moisture can be highly variable within the same field and varies considerably with time. The challenge involved with measuring soil moisture is that traditional techniques that rely on obtaining large samples are labor and time-intensive, especially for large fields. Developments in sensor technologies have allowed users to record the soil moisture regularly at the points where the sensors are installed. However, to understand how soil moisture changes across a field …

Field Flow Measurements For Pipe Installations With Non-Ideal Conditions, Jake Douglas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Accurate flow measurement data is necessary to effectively manage water resources. The purpose of this research is to investigate options to improve field flow measurement by investigating alternatives for calibrating flow meters installed in non-ideal piping. Typically, to accurately measure a flow rate using most types of flow meters, it is recommended that a straight section of pipe be installed immediately upstream and downstream of the flow meter to avoid flow fluctuations at the meter location. However, in many cases, flow disturbances upstream of the meter are unavoidable.

The performance of field flow measurements in non-ideal piping scenarios were studied …

Tracking Perfluoroalkyl Substances From Wastewater Influent To Its Accumulation In Vegetables And Forage Grass, Simon Kozik

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Per and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemicals that are persistent in the environment. PFAS was found in wastewater, which can be used after wastewater treatment for irrigation water, and in the biosolids that can be mixed with soils to provide nutrients and generally improve soil quality. This study found when wastewater was used it increases the level of PFAS in vegetables and forage grass. PFAS concentrations were tracked from the influent of the wastewater treatment plant to the effluent, to the irrigation water, to the soil, and finally into the vegetable and forage grass grown on …

Water Data Science: Data Driven Techniques, Training, And Tools For Improved Management Of High Frequency Water Resources Data, Amber Spackman Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Electronic sensors can measure water and climate conditions at high frequency and generate large quantities of observed data. This work addresses data management challenges associated with the volume and complexity of high frequency water data. We developed techniques for automatically reviewing data, created materials for training water data managers, and explored existing and emerging technologies for sensor data management.

Data collected by sensors often include errors due to sensor failure or environmental conditions that need to be removed, labeled, or corrected before the data can be used for analysis. Manual review and correction of these data can be tedious and …

Exploring The Role Of Near Channel Geospatial Attributes To Predict Suspended Sediment Concentration Patterns Across The Conus Region, Aaron J. Sigman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

High concentrations of suspended sediment (SSC) in a river can represent a critical water quality concern, reduce the storage capacity of reservoirs, and impact aquatic habitat. The total amount of sediment is calculated from a combination of river properties, including the amount of available sediment and the flow of water carrying the sediment. Water flow properties can be found using local information about the channel, however understanding the concentration of sediment in the river requires understanding the supply of sediment from the watershed. To understand where sediment is coming from, we examined over 1000 United States Geological Survey sites with …

Impacts Of Area-Wide Air Pollution On Multimodal Traffic: Comparing Pedestrian, Motor Vehicle, And Transit Volumes In Utah, Prachanda Tiwari

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The impact of area-wide air pollution on multimodal traffic volumes has been underexplored. Thus, this research investigates the effect of area-wide air pollution on pedestrian volumes, motor volumes, and transit ridership across two urban areas in Utah for two years (2018 and 2019). The research employed multilevel modeling to study this effect. The model results showed an overall decrease in pedestrian volumes in both study areas, while driving volumes saw both increases and decreases in different locations. Transit ridership saw an increase during days with moderate air quality in one particular study area. Median income, vehicle ownership, and higher street …

Surface Water Hydrology Within The Great Salt Lake Basin, Madeline F. Merck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Great Salt Lake (GSL) and its tributaries are ecologically and economically important resources for Utah. It is a highly saline lake, with salinity that is several times saltier than the ocean. Lake uses are heavily influenced by its salinity and lake level and, similarly, river uses by its streamflow quantity. Currently, the GSL Basin is experiencing changes that affect tributary inflows, lake level, and salinity. For my dissertation and in support of better lake management, I addressed important gaps in our understanding of the lake and the changes it is undergoing.

Chapter 2 is an examination of the distribution …

Comparing Scaling Approaches To Estimate Unimpaired Streamflow Timeseries And Seasonal Flow Metrics At Ungauged Streams, Karl Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

River ecosystems are controlled in part by natural variation in the flow regime and streamflow alterations that impair these natural variations often have negative impacts for aquatic species. Flow metrics describing attributes of the natural flow regime can inform environmental water management goals to maintain and restore river ecosystems by mirroring critical aspects of the natural flow regime. However, unimpaired daily streamflow data needed to calculate these flow metrics is not always readily available. Statistical scaling approaches present an opportunity to estimate unimpaired flow metrics at ungauged locations to better address environmental water management objectives. This study evaluates a suite …

Development Of Large-Scale Pseudo-3d Shear Wave Velocity Models At The Garner Valley Downhole Array Site, Isabella Corey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to design structures that can withstand anticipated earthquake loads, it is first necessary to understand the behavior of the subsurface when subjected to ground motions. To achieve this, different models and approaches have been proposed in recent decades, each with the aim of estimating how site-specific stratigraphy can amplify and/or scatter seismic waves. All of these methods require, to varying extents, information about the types of soil layers, their thickness, their stiffnesses (represented by a shear wave velocity profile), and lateral variability across the site. This last characteristic is often both difficult and costly to determine. Past research …

Laboratory Measurements At The Impact Point Of A Falling Jet, Garrett Richins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Dams and spillways play a vital role in managing water resources. Many of these hydraulic structures feature a falling jet when discharging downstream. Engineers design plunge pools to receive jets with enough water depth or a protective liner to protect the river bottom so that scour is avoided. Quantifying the pressures at the bottom of the falling jet is a key component to determining the potential for scour and the need for mitigation techniques.

In the laboratory setting, significant discrepancies have been observed between different measurement methods to measure mean and fluctuating pressures of a falling jet intercepting a solid …

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics For Predicting Hydraulic Performance Of Arced Labyrinth Weirs, Shelby J. Koldewyn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Our world is dynamic and as hydrologic research continues, the magnitude of flood estimates used in hydraulic design for reservoirs has increased. Consequently, many existing spillways are now undersized and unable to meet discharge requirements. These spillways often have a fixed footprint, so nonlinear weirs (e.g., labyrinth weirs) are often a viable solution. For reservoir applications, arcing labyrinth weirs in plan view increases hydraulic efficiency because of better cycle orientation to the approaching flow from the reservoir. This study supplements available physical arced labyrinth weir hydraulic data by observing flow characteristics of two numerical models (α=16°; θ=10° …

Long-Distance Recreational Travel Behavior And Implications Of Autonomous Vehicles, Sailesh Acharya

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Have you ever wondered how people travel long distances and how it could be affected by the emergence of autonomous vehicles (AVs)? This dissertation aims to answer those questions by studying the current behavior of long-distance recreational travelers and their preference in the age of AVs. This dissertation has four main goals. First, it seeks to develop a reliable way to measure people’s satisfaction with long-distance recreational trips and understand the similarities and differences between long- and short-distance travel satisfaction. Second, it looks at the connection between how people travel, how satisfied they are with their travel experiences, and how …

Durability Of Wireless Charging Systems Embedded Into Concrete Pavements For Electric Vehicles, Pilaiwan Vaikasi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has been growing around the world significantly. EVs run on electricity by charging power to their batteries. However, a concern in the operation of the EVs is raised because they have an insufficient battery charge to reach their destination. In-motion, inductive power transfer (IPT) embedded into the roadway for the EVs can ease the need to use a charging stationary. This project focused on the durability of the dynamic charging IPT electronics integrated into concrete pavements. This research collaborated with electrical and mechanical engineering colleagues from the Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway …

Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan Price City, Utah, Patricia Beckert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The idea of a small-town Main Street has profound meaning within the American culture that has prevailed for the past two centuries. Historically, Main Street serves as the beating heart of a community, a place where economic, social, cultural, and civic activities are centered (Francaviglia, 1996; Main Street America, n.d.). Since the beginning of the 19th century, many factors have led to the decline of Main Streets, and despite a variety of efforts from different stakeholders, that decline has only intensified in recent decades (Isenberg, 2008; Orvell, 2014 Howard, 2015). In 1980, after a three-year project conducted by the National …

Top Mat Reinforcement Alternatives For Concrete Pavement Slabs With Embedded Inductive Power Transfer Systems, Thaddeus J. Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are continually becoming a larger portion of the vehicular fleet on a national and global level. Despite their growth in popularity, several challenges still exist that hinder the practicality and general public’s acceptance of EVs. The limited travel range of EVs, lack of consistent charging stations, and required time to charge EVs are at the forefront of these challenges. The use of Inductive Power Transfer Systems (IPTS) may be part of the solution to the afore mentioned issues.

IPTS embedded in concrete pavement panels allow EVs to charge their batteries while in motion. In order to justify …

Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction To Increase Groundwater Availability, Saeid Masoudiashtiani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study develops procedures for using surface water to increase groundwater availability and sustainable yield, and for evaluating impacts on surface water. Increasing sustainable groundwater yield requires reducing the gap between the volumes of discharge from versus recharge to an aquifer. The study presents procedure for water user(s) to help increase groundwater availability. Toward that end, this study simulates and evaluates: a) aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) of water diverted from Red Butte Creek in Salt Lake Valley, Utah for subsequent turf irrigation; b) ASR injection of residential runoff from daily rainfall for subsequent extraction to irrigate turf; and c) …

Estimating Seasonal Crop Water Consumption In Irrigated Lands Using Soil Moisture And Reference Evapotranspiration, Oliver Henry Hargreaves

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The increase in population and the megadrought that the American west has been experiencing for the past two decades and for the foreseeable future are the cause of great stress on the region’s water resources. In an effort to mitigate the worst effects of water shortages many public and private agencies have been pursuing ways to reduce water use while maintaining the current status quo of living standards, industrial productivity, and agricultural yield. This project aims to study water use in irrigated lands dedicated to agriculture with the objective of quantifying crop water use, often referred to as evapotranspiration (ET), …

Improved Sustainability And Efficiency Of Partial Depth Concrete Bridge Deck Repair, Israi I. H. Abu Shanab

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recently, significant advances have been made in the development of rapid setting cementitious materials for partial depth bridge deck repair. The rapid set times of these materials allow for traffic to be re-opened onto the bridge deck in several hours versus days once the material has been placed. While this is a substantial improvement in reducing the traffic closure time, a large amount of time is still spent on the removal of damaged and deteriorated bridge deck and in preparing the concrete cutouts for placement of the rapid set material. Partial deck removal is a much more delicate process than …

Comparing 1d, 2d, And 3d Hydraulic Models In Urban Flooding Applications, Taylor Kesler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Floods have been a hazard to people since people first started building near rivers. Predicting floods can be very beneficial to save lives and property. Computers have made it possible to solve fluid dynamics equations in a fast and efficient manner. Computer programs have been designed to solve these equations and create digital models of floods.

This study compares three different methods of computer modeling and explores their advantages and disadvantages. One-dimensional models solve fluid equations by setting up a series of cross sections. Two-dimensional models use a grid-like mesh to solve fluid equations from one cell to the next. …

Laboratory Modelling Of The Various Components Of Backward Erosion Piping Behavior Due To Converging Flow With Different Constricted Outlets, Ibrahim Ahmed Abdelmotelb Ibrahim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Backward Erosion Piping (BEP) is an internal erosion mechanism which occurs at the down stream of dams or levees. Two conditions needed for this failure to occur: 1) head of water in the upstream of the dam or the levee to drive the seepage forces, and 2) crack in the roof or the blanket layer of the cohesionless material in the downstream of the dam or a levee. Numerous researches were performed in the past in an attempt to predict the critical gradient for BEP to initiate. Some researches are too conservative and other researches are under predicting the critical …

Physical Model Of Rainwater Along Roadway Filter Strip, Ryan C. Eberhard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to investigate infiltration rates of rainwater into a roadside filter strip. The findings of this study were intended to be used by the Utah Department of Transportation in their design of stormwater retention. A testing apparatus was designed and constructed to simulate rainfall and infiltration on an inclined slope during the 80^th percentile 24-hour rainstorm event in Utah. The model was used to test six different surface soil configurations at three slope inclinations. Each test was subjected to a simulated storm event of ½ inch of rain over a 2-hour period. The variation …

Locating Low Head Dams Using A Deep Learning Model In Arcgis Pro With Aerial Imagery, Caitlin R. Arnold

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Low Head Dams are man-made structures that span the width of a river and allow water to flow over them. Although these structures vary in age and original purpose, some pose a life-threatening danger when recreationalists are entrapped in the reverse current at the toe. Despite these dangerous structures causing many drowning deaths in the USA each year, most low head dams do not have safety regulations and remain unknown to those charged with dam and public safety. Thus, to improve public safety at these structures, the first step is to fully inventory low head dams, so that subsequent efforts …

Development Of An Excel Model To Evaluate The Stability Of Slopes, Bradley Davis

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This objective of this study is to determine a method or tool for taking given slope stability parameters and quickly and effectively determining the factor of safety against sliding of fully softened slopes. This study evaluates the effects of soil and geometric parameters of common slopes, and models these properties in a hypothetical model. The methodology is based on a parametric analysis using the Spencer’s Method of Slices limit equilibrium analysis used in the computer program Slide2. A parametric analysis is performed to determine which soil and/or geometric properties have a high influence on slope stability. The parametric analysis is …

Characterizing Karst Mountain Watersheds Through Streamflow Response To Snowmelt, Daniel Meade Thurber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The climate in many parts of the Western US is characterized by cold, wet winters preceding long, dry summers. In the absence of precipitation, water supplies in these regions are sustained by melting snow and mountain groundwater. Changes in regional climate can reduce snow accumulation, accelerate melt, and prolong dry periods, all increasing the importance of groundwater on summertime water availability. In mountainous regions with limestone and dolomite geology, bedrock formations can host significant karst aquifers comprising dissolution-enhanced karst conduits which play an outsized and variable role in how precipitation is translated into streamflow. In this study, we considered an …

Comparison Of Crop Water Use Estimation Methodologies In Irrigated Crops, Laura Christiansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As increasing drought events limit water resources available for irrigation, farmers and other water users are looking for ways to monitor how much water crops use over a growing season. The amount of water used by crops over time is the evapotranspiration (ET) rate. This study compares different methods for ET estimation to recommend methods to water users based on their accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility. Each method was used to estimate ET for sprinkler-irrigated corn and alfalfa fields in Modena, UT over the 2021 growing season. The Soil Moisture based ET (SMET) method was used to estimate ET based on …

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics To Predict Flow Through The West Crack Breach Of The Great Salt Lake Railroad Causeway, Michael Rasmussen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA, is a terminal, saline lake and is divided into two primary sections (northern and southern) by an east-to-west railroad causeway. Shortly after completion of the earth-fill causeway in the late 1950s, the two sections became dramatically different with differences in water surface elevation and water density. These differences cause the formation of a unique flow behavior commonly referred to as a density-driven exchange flow or bi-directional flow; a behavior observed in other lake and ocean settings where two fluids of differing densities interact. Measuring these exchange flows is a priority for lake managers …

Passage Probability Of Woody Debris Elements And Accumulations At I- And V-Shaped Rock Weirs, Kathryn Margetts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The transport and accumulation of driftwood or large woody debris (LWD) in mountain streams is a natural part of catchment health and river connectivity. At hydraulic structures, the presence of LWD may impact flow efficiency and influence upstream water depth. LWD has been studied at a variety of spillways and weir types, however, little is known about its interaction at rock weirs. This study investigated factors affecting the passage of individual LWD elements and any LWD accumulations at rock weirs, as well as potential impacts upstream of LWD accumulations through field-informed scaled model testing. Observations of LWD at rock weirs …

Sustain Water Conservation Behaviors Using Nonparametric Ranking And Social Marketing, Mahmudur Rahman Aveek

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Circulation of water use feedback and conservation messaging are strategies implemented to reduce water demand on a short-term (seasonal) basis. Often considered a less impactful strategy than other tactics such as price increments and usage restrictions, authorities mostly use feedback in informational campaigns with a focus to apprise users about their water use. Such conservation programs have had limited success that has been attributed to the fact that the information provided with the feedback campaigns was generic and did not motivate users enough to sustain their water-saving behaviors. However, the advent of disaggregation technologies that can provide appliance-wise water use …

Advancing The Cyberinfrastructure For Smart Water Metering And Water Demand Modeling, Nour A. Attallah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With rapid growth of urban populations and limited water resources, achieving an appropriate balance between water supply capacity and residential water demand poses a significant challenge to water supplying agencies. With the recent emergence of smart metering technology, where water use can be monitored and recorded at high resolution (e.g., observations of water use every 5 seconds), most existing research has been aimed at providing water managers with detailed information about the water use behavior of their consumers and the performance of water using fixtures. However, replacing existing meters with smart meters is expensive, and effectively using data produced by …

Bugs Buy Steady Releases From Hydropower Producers To Encourage More Synergistic Reservoir Management, Moazzam Ali Rind

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hydropower generated from dams has significant economic value, however, that value is achieved at the cost of native ecosystem devastation. Here, we have estimated loss in hydropower revenue due to inclusion of the steady low flow days –Bug Flow Experiments. We developed a linear optimization model and constraint method that restrict the number of steady low flow days while maximizes the hydropower revenue generation. The results suggested that increase in release volume will benefit both the objectives (win-win scenario), energy price differential between on-and off-peak periods controls the position and shape of tradeoff curves, and offset release does not have …