Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Inundated Vegetation Response To Ongoing Restoration And Its Impacts On Fish Community Structure, Emmanuel J. May

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Shallow lake ecosystems and their associated wetland habitats globally are subject to non-native species introductions, nutrient loading, and water level fluctuations, each of which can decrease vegetated habitat availability, exposing vulnerable native aquatic species to predation. Managers are frequently tasked with mitigating native species declines by restoring vegetation considered crucial for their survival. However, restoring vegetation can be challenging in the presence of multiple stressors, requiring managers to assess the relative importance of the different stressors limiting vegetation recovery.

Utah Lake is a large shallow lake subject to multiple stressors and has shifted from a mesotrophic lake with abundant aquatic …

Overcoming Barriers To Aquatic Plant Restoration: Addressing Gaps In Species Identification And Planting Techniques In The Intermountain West, Kate A. Sinnott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Aquatic ecosystems provide many critical and economically valuable benefits, including drinking water, food, recreational opportunities, and water supply for irrigation and agriculture. However, the health of these systems has been severely impacted by human activities such as pollution, land conversion, and introductions of harmful species. Restoring native aquatic plants can help reverse this damage and reestablish benefits, though it is not a common practice. With an objective to increase capacity for aquatic plant restoration in the Intermountain West, I identified and addressed two major barriers: 1) a lack of confidence in aquatic species identification among wetland professionals, and 2) underdeveloped …

The Effect Of Species Choice, Seed Mix Composition, And Microtopography On Native Plant Restoration In Great Salt Lake Wetlands, Coryna Hebert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wetlands are important ecosystems that improve water quality, prevent floods, and provide wildlife habitat. As such, restoring native plants that promote wetland health is a high priority for land managers. However, there are many challenges to the restoration of native plants. In our study system (Great Salt Lake wetlands), many areas are invaded by the European grass, Phragmites australis. Phragmites grows in dense stands and displaces native plants. The reduction of native plant communities in Great Salt Lake wetlands is a major concern because these ecosystems provide habitat for millions of native birds. Managers have made successful efforts to …

Prioritizing Stream Barrier Removal To Maximize Connected Aquatic Habitat And Minimize Water Scarcity, Maggi Kraft, David E. Rosenberg, Sarah E. Null

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Instream barriers, such as dams, culverts, and diversions, alter hydrologic processes and aquatic habitat. Removing uneconomical and aging instream barriers is increasingly used for river restoration. Historically, selection of barrier removal projects used score‐and‐rank techniques, ignoring cumulative change and the spatial structure of stream networks. Likewise, most water supply models prioritize either human water uses or aquatic habitat, failing to incorporate both human and environmental water use benefits. Here, a dual‐objective optimization model identifies barriers to remove that maximize connected aquatic habitat and minimize water scarcity. Aquatic habitat is measured using monthly average streamflow, temperature, channel gradient, and geomorphic condition …

Intraspecific Variation In The Response Of Elymus Elymoides To Competition From Bromus Tectorum, Rebecca K. Mann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the western United States, thousands of acres of degraded rangelands are dominated by aggressive invasive species such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and are seeded by managers with native plants in an attempt to restore species diversity, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem services. There are many options for obtaining seeds of native plants; for instance, they can be collected from the region where restoration is to occur, or they may be purchased through commercial producers. For a given plant species, managers may also select seeds from unique subspecies, cultivars, and populations. Genetic differentiation among these within-species groups can not only affect …

The Effect Of Stream Restoration On Preferred Cutthroat Trout Habitat In The Strawberry River, Utah, Nicolas R. Braithwaite

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Stream restoration has become a popular management tool for attempting to increase and/or restore fish populations by improving habitat. A section of the Strawberry River, Utah recently underwent a stream restoration project, where the main goals of the project included increasing spawning activity, rearing potential, and resident populations of Bear Lake cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkia utah. The impact of the restoration project on cutthroat trout was investigated by first characterizing preferred habitat for different life stages, investigating habitat as a limiting factor in the system, and then assessing the quality of available habitat by comparing restored/unrestored sections of stream …

Guide To Stakeholder Groups For Great Basin Sagebrush Steppe Restoration, Scott Hoffmann, Mark W. Brunson, Summer Olsen

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

As efforts are made to restore the health and functioning of sagebrush ecosystems within the Great Basin, various stakeholder interest groups have the potential to offer partnerships as well as adversarial involvement with land managers tasked with restoration. Given that greater than 60% of the Great Basin is publicly owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies, it is critical for those working in restoration to understand the views held by key stakeholder groups that may enhance or impair such efforts (Brunson and Peterson 2007). Gaining knowledge about and familiarity with those interest groups active …

Planning For Closure Of The Logan City/Cache County Landfill And Surrounding Landscape, Kristofor Lee Kvarfordt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Planning for closure requires in depth analysis into many operational, environmental, and social factors. Ideally, the planning process should resolve as many of the technical, social, and aesthetic requirements as possible by systematically addressing the various elements that influence the final design. This research identified the significant issues related to planning for the end use of the current Logan landfill after it reaches capacity in 18-20 years and the associated lagoons and wetlands. The current closure plan calls for simply recontouring the landfill to stabilize the slopes, then revegetating. The location of the site has serious implications for environmental impact …

Final Technical Report: Integrated Restoration Strategies Towards Weed Control On Western Rangelands, Robert Nowak

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Invasive species are having severe ecological (Mack et al. 2000) and economic (Pimentel et al. 2005) impacts on ecosystems around the world. Invasive species can alter many ecosystem processes (Crooks 2002, Walker & Smith 1997) including: water and nutrient availability, such as form and amount of N if the soil (Evans et al. 2001, Sperry et al. 2006); primary productivity, through shifts in growth rates or efficiency of resource use; disturbance regimes, including the type, frequency, and severity of disturbances such as fire (D’Antonio 2002); and community dynamics, such as species replacements (Alvarez & Cushman 2002). The economic losses and …

Floodplain Habitat Restoration At Thunder Ranch, Utah, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery Program) is proposing to restore endangered fish habitat at 330 acres of Green River bottomlands located on the Thunder Ranch near Jensen, Utah. The Recovery Program acquired a total of 455 acres of easement from Thunder Ranch to protect and improve floodplain habitat for the benefit of endangered Colorado River fishes. The project area is located adjacent to the Green River within an old meander river channel. Several ponds and wetlands exist in the project area, but are isolated from the Green River by an earth-filled levee. By notching the existing …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Appendix E, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is performing a DOE-wide programmatic evaluation of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) management alternatives in order to determine the appropriate means of managing existing and projected quantities of SNF from now until the year 2035. At the same time, the DOE is performing a site-specific assessment of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) in order to determine how to manage environmental restoration, waste management, and SNF at the INEL. Sites currently involved with the management of major fractions of DOE SNF (i.e., the Hanford Site, Savannah River Site, and INEL), alternative sites being analyzed for …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is evaluating its options for two separate but related sets of decisions pertinent to the mangement of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) for which the DOE is responsible. As a result, this Environmental Impact Statemt (EIS) is divided into two parts. Volume 1 involves programmatic (DOE-wide) approaches to the management of DOE's SNF. Volume 2 discusses site-specific approaches for environmental restoration and waste management activities at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, including SNF management. This EIS has been prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and its applicable implementing regulations (40 CFR …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 2, Part A, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This document analyzes at a programmatic level the potential environmental consequences over the next 40 years of alternatives related to the transportation, receipt, processing, and storage of spent nuclear fuel under the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Energy. It also analyzes the site-specific consequences of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory sitewide actions anticipated over the next 10 years for waste and spent nuclear fuel management and environmental restoration. For programmatic spent nuclear fuel management, this document analyzes alternatives of no action, decentralization, regionalization, centralization and the use of the plans that existed in 1992/1993 for the management of these …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Appendix L, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This section provides an assessment of the areas surrounding the 10 sites under consideration for the management of SNF under all programmatic alternatives considered in this volume. It is divided into two sections: (a) the five sites considered for the management of DOE naval SNF only (under the No Action and Decentralization alternatives, and (b) the five DOE sites being considered for the management of all types of DOE SNF under all alternatives. The five sites considered for the management of naval SNF only are the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine; Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Appendix B, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Appendix B to Volume 1 considers the impacts on the INEL environment of the implementation of various DOE-wide spent nuclear fuel management alternatives. The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, which is a joint Navy/DOE program, is responsible for spent naval nuclear fuel examiniation at the INEL. For this appendix, naval fuel that has been examined at the Naval Reactors Facility and turned over to DOE for storage is termed naval-type fuel. This appendix evaluates the management of DOE spent nuclear fuel including naval-type fuel. Naval spent nuclear fuel examination is addressed in Appendix D; Section 5.16 of this appendix includes …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Appendix D, Part B, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The methods used to perform the analyses in the environmental impact statement have been refined in the time since the environmental assessment was prepared. This occurred partly because of the larger number of naval spent nuclear fuel assemblies analyzed and the wider scope of sites and methods of storage to be evaluated, and partly because additional time was available to implement the refinements. In addition to refinements in the methods for performing the calculations, some minor changes in the calculational models were made in order to establish a high degree of consistency with the analytical methods used for the other …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Appendix F, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This appendix addresses the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at two U.S. Department of Energy sites, the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). These sites are being considered to provide a reasonable range of alternative settings at which future SNF management activities could be conducted. These locations are not currently involved in management of large quantities of SNF; NTS has none, and ORR has only small quantities. But NTS and ORR do offer experience and infrastructure for the handling, processing and storage of radioactive materials, and they do exemplify a broad spectrum of environmental …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Appendix D, Part A, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This appendix describes the alternatives which have been evaluated for the examination and storage of spent nuclear fuel from U. S. naval nuclear shipboard and prototype reactors. The spent fuel is removed during reactor refuelings and defuelings at naval and commercial shipyards and at the prototype sites. The alternatives include a range of options for managing naval spent fuel through the year 2035. The options for spent fuel examination include ceasing all examinations, examining a limited amount of fuel at a naval shipyard, and performing a full range of examinations at the current facility (Idaho National Engineering Laboratory) or at …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Summary, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This document analyzes (at a programmatic level) the potential environmental consequences over the next 40 years of alternatives related to the transportation, receipt, processing, and storage of spent nuclear fuel under the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Energy. It also analyzes the site-specific consequences of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory sitewide actions anticipated over the next 10 years for waste and spent nuclear fuel management and environmental restoration. For programmatic spent nuclear fuel management, this document analyzes alternatives of no action, decentralization, regionalization, centralization and the use of the plans that existed in 1992 and 1993 for the managment …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Appendix C, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is engaged in two related decisionmaking processes concerning: (1) the transportation, receipt, processing, and storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at the DOE Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) which will focus on the next 10 years; and (2) programmatic decisions on future spent nuclear fuel management which will emphasize the next 40 years. DOE is analyzing the environmental consequences of these spent nuclear fuel management actions in this two-volume Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Volume 1 supports broad programmatic decisions that will have applicability across the DOE complex and describes in detail the purpose and …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Appendix A, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is currently deciding the direction of its environmental restoration and waste management programs at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) for the next 10 years. Pertinent to this decision is establishing policies for the environmentally sensitive and safe transport, storage, and management of spent nuclear fuels (SNF). To develop these policies, it is necessary to revisit or examine the available options. As a part of the DOE complex, the Hanford Site not only has a large portion of the nationwide DOE-owned inventory of SNF, but also is a participant in the DOE decision for …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 3, Part B, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

DOE acknowledges its responsibility to safely manage spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The Secretary of Energy has publicly affirmed that current DOE policy and practice emphasize safety and environmental considerations above other program goals. DOE is formally committed to protecting the safety and health of its workers, the public, and the environment. Furthermore, DOE intends to design, construct and operate facilities in a safe manner, relying on lessons learned from the last 40 years of SNF management. DOE is working to rectify and eliminate any adverse environmental impacts from past programs.

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 3, Part A, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This document analyzes at a programmatic level the potential environmental consequences over the next 40 years of alternatives related to the transportation, receipt, processing, and storage of spent nuclear fuel under the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Energy. It also analyzes the site-specific consequences of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory sitewide actions anticipated over the next 10 years for waste and spent nuclear fuel management and environmental restoration. For programmatic spent nuclear fuel management, this document analyzes alternatives of no action, decentralization, regionalization, centralization and the use of the plans that existed in 1992/1993 for the management of these …

Department Of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management And Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration And Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 2, Part B, United States Department Of Energy

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Per U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's guidance, each contaminant was categorized as carcinogenic or noncarcinogenic. Exposures to contaminants were then evaluated for potential health effects. The method used was dependent on whether the exposure was to the public or to a worker and whether the contaminant was classified as a carcinogen or a noncarcinogen. Health effects were reported separately and were not summed where distinctly different types of effects were reported for chemical exposures (that is, carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic).

Restoration And Expansion Of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Brigham City, Utah, Environmental Assessment, U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service

Environmental Assessments (UT)

This Environmental Assessment is designed to evaluate possible actions for preserving and managing the wetland habitat on Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (Refuge) and to consider additional wetlands for protection of environmental, wildlife, and recreational values.