Engineering Commons^™

Factors Affecting United States Geological Survey Irrigation Freshwater Withdrawal Estimates In Utah, J. Levi Manley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah is, on average, one of the driest states in the United States, second only to Nevada, and drier conditions are projected. Irrigation is the largest water user in the state, representing about 80% of the total freshwater withdrawn each year. Withdrawals are obtained from sources like reservoirs or streams, or underground water from wells and springs, and supplied for use. The United States Geological Survey, a reputable federal science agency, has provided irrigation freshwater withdrawal estimates every five years since 1950. Understanding what factors affect irrigation withdrawals can better inform water resource planning to reduce withdrawals and conserve surface …

Agent-Based Model To Manage Household Water Use Through Social-Environmental Strategies Of Encouragement And Peer Pressure, Ryan James

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Inelastic price responses, demand hardening, and poor public awareness reduce the effectiveness of demand side strategies on water savings. This project quantified phycological household’s factors of attitudes, peer support, opportunities on water conservation with two social-environmental management strategies of encouragement and peer pressure. An agent-based model was populated with data for Logan, Utah using surveys, municipal billing, aerial imagery, weather monitoring stations, and flow, frequency, and durations of appliance use data. Results indicated those households with higher attitudes, peer support and opportunities saved the most water while peer pressure saved more than encouragement when using small and diverse social networks …

Evaluation Of A Side-By-Side Full-Scale Biofiltration Conversion In A Nutrient-Limited Environment, Stetson S. Bassett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to meet increasing water demands and more stringent regulations drinking water treatment plant managers must continually look to new treatment strategies and optimization techniques. One such strategy is to eliminate chlorine residual before filtration, allowing indigenous bacteria already present in the source water to grow on the filter media. These microorganisms help improve effluent water quality by increasing organic and inorganic contaminant removal. The process is known as biological filtration, or biofiltration. The implications of converting a conventional filtration plant (not specifically designed for biofiltration) to a biofiltration plant are still not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of …

Agricultural Water Management In The Sevier River Basin, Utah: A Multidisciplinary Approach, Daeha Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Sevier River Basin situated in south central Utah is characterized by its semiarid climate, snowmelt-driven runoff, and high dependency on agricultural economy. High evapotranspiration and low precipitation make agricultural production challenging, but naturally stored water in the snowpack in the mountains alleviates water stresses during high water demand seasons. The snowmelt-driven river flow along the main channel is highly exploited for irrigation for farms near the Sevier River. Reservoir operations and river diversions result in heavily regulated flows from the upper to the lower basins. The return flows of over-irrigated water in the upper basin increase salinity of surface …

Redox-Controlled Biogeochemical Processes Affecting Arsenic Solubility In Sediments From A Basin-Fill Aquifer In Northern Utah, Xianyu Meng

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The basin-fill aquifers of the American Southwest host elevated concentrations of arsenic in groundwater due to the local geology. Limited information is available on arsenic dynamics in semi-arid and arid regions of the world. This study describes arsenic biogeochemistry and mechanisms of arsenic solubilization for a soil profile collected from the surface to the depth of groundwater in the Cache Valley Basin, Northern Utah.

The first objective was to delineate mechanisms of arsenic solubilization from sediments collected at the study site. Microcosms containing site groundwater and siteoxidized and site-reduced sediments, were monitored over time to observe changes in the solubilization …

Phosphorus Mobility In The Shallow Unconfined Aquifer At Pineview Reservoir, Utah, Christine Rumsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Significant phosphorus transport is occurring in the groundwater surrounding Pineview Reservoir. A set of investigations was completed to identify factors contributing to phosphorus mobility. Water quality monitoring was conducted to understand groundwater characteristics and phosphorus movement. Several water quality parameters were evaluated to specifically determine whether septic systems influence groundwater quality. Results indicate that septic systems pollute at least two locations in the aquifer around the reservoir. Given this information, it may be necessary to implement advanced septic system treatment options to reduce the amount of phosphorus in groundwater.

Experiments were conducted on two aquifer sediment types to identify factors …

Development Of Standards, Objectives, And Curriculum Guide To Teach Basic Electronics For Utah Science Credit In Secondary School Education, Rick Pierce

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

Recently, the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) has accepted Basic Electronics, Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code 47.0105, as an elective to fill the required third science credit for secondary education (grades 10-12) students. The current Utah state core standards and objectives used for curriculum development in the Basic Electronics classes are now inadequate, as they are more than 15 years old, and designed specifically for students pursuing a technical career path. A formatting change to the document was implemented in 2008, but the standards and objectives were not changed.
Students are subsequently being taught the fundamentals of technology …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Three Utah Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Removing Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products, Oksana Roth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The occurrence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in surface waters has become a growing concern within the last decade although the first mention of human PPCPs in the environment goes back to late 1970s. Pharmaceuticals include prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and veterinary drugs. Personal care products include products such as lotions, fragrances, and soaps. In addition to traditional personal care products, the term PPCPs has been adopted to represent a wide variety of chemicals used in consumer products including plasticizers and fire retardants. Wastewater effluents are thought to be the main source of PPCPs in surface waters since …

Optimization Of Dissolved Air Flotation For Algal Harvesting At The Logan, Utah Wastewater Treatment Plant, Andrew R. Elder

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research being completed at the Logan, UT wastewater treatment plant could provide a locally-sourced gasoline replacement by collecting algae that grows naturally. This process would also provide the City of Logan with a method to meet certain standards set by the state of Utah.

Problem and proposed solution:

The water leaving Logan’s wastewater treatment plant has high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, two elements that are found in all wastewater treatment plants. These two substances need to be controlled, because they kill fish and cause pond scum to grow in recreational reservoirs downstream. A unique method has been found to …

Assessing Phosphorus-Transport From Biosolids Land Application Sites In Utah, Mohan K. Kumar

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

Phosphorus Site Index (PSI) is a phosphorus transport assessment tool used to estimate the risk of P transport from soils. Various components, such as soil erosion, P fertilizer application rate, plant available P in soil, etc. that have an influence on P transport from a site, are weighted and given ratings, and a combination of these components are expressed as PSI. This study has considered two biosolids land application sites in Utah, which received biosolids amendments over time, to develop a specialized PSI for the state of Utah.

Phosphorus from land application of biosolids has been considered a potential risk …

Pavement Management Systems On A Local Level, Cristian A. Vasquez

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

Roads are one of the most valuable infrastructure assets within a community. Proper maintenance of the roadway network can promote the prosperity of a community. In recent times maintenance has become much more difficult with the price of asphalt increasing drastically and city budgets contracting due to the economic downturn. With these conditions, the proper management of an agency’s street network is necessary. The use of pavement management systems provides the help needed in the preservation of the street network. The use of pavement management systems provides significant benefits such as identification of the most cost-effective pavement treatment actions and …

The Transfer Of Agricultural Water To Municipal And Industrial Usages, Dallin Paul Stephens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The water that is available for beneficial use in Utah is quickly approaching full appropriation; water that has been claimed is nearing the amount that is available for use. The Division of Water Resources of the State of Utah has organized a three-part plan to "Plan, Conserve, Develop and Protect Utah's Water Resources." One of these three elements has a focus to "provide comprehensive water planning." Such planning is best achieved when current and accurate data on the uses of the state's water are available.

The primary purpose of this thesis was to provide an evaluation, from data collected on …

Revenue Recovery Through Meter Replacement, Devan J. Shields

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous studies have identified water meter inaccuracy at low flow rates as a significant source of non-revenue flow for water systems; however a lack of available data makes it difficult to include low flow accuracy degradation in meter replacement plans. This thesis examines results from an extensive accuracy test program carried out at the Utah Water Research Laboratory on small water meters over a wide range of flow rates and at various levels of throughput. The study compares expected apparent losses of different types of water meters based on a flow profile and expected daily use for the State of …

A Comparison Of Four-Step Model And Path Flow Estimator For Forecasting Network Flow: A Case Study Of Cache County In Utah, Siddareddy B. Pedaballi

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

Development of alternative methodologies for travel demand modeling has become important in recent years due to the lack of resources for small and medium communities to adopt conventional four step travel models. Many researchers have proposed alternative tools of travel demand modeling for these communities. But majority of them still require large amount of data and technical sophistication.

In this study, the Path Flow Estimator (PFE) is used to estimate the network traffic of Cache County. PFE estimations are based on the collected traffic counts, vehicle production and attractions of zones estimated using Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip generation …

Comparison Of Optimization Methodologies For Sustained-Yield Groundwater Pumping Planning In East Shore Area, Utah, Shu Takahashi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Combined simulation and optimization models, which are helpful for long-term groundwater planning of complex nonlinear aquifer systems, are developed using alternative modelling approaches. The models incorporate a representation of steady-state, quasi-three-dimensional head response to pumping within an optimization. An embedding model which describes exactly the nonlinear flow of an unconfined aquifer is presented. In contrast with the embedding models presented in the Utah State University Ground Water Model, it directly achieves the optimal solution without a "cycling." To address the nonlinearity of the flow system, response matrix models couple superposition with the cycling procedure. Their linear influence coefficients are generated …

Bioavailable Phosphorus In The Bear River System, Utah, Kenneth Warren Barker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The bioavailable fraction of phosphorus (BAP) in the lower Bear River system waters was investigated. BAP plays a critical role as the limiting nutrient for algal production and eutrophication in proposed reservoirs in the Bear River system. The Bear River system has a hardness ranging between 180-240 mg/L as CaCO₃ which significantly affects BAP.

BAP estimation was done by a modified Selenastrum capricornutum Printz Algal Assay Bottle Test. The algal bioassay is considered the best estimator of BAP because no chemical tests or indicator parameters are available. Autoclaving and UV radiation were found to be unacceptable means for sterilization …

Development Of A Liquefaction Opportunity Map For Cache Valley, Utah, Richard J. Greenwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A liquefaction opportunity map was developed for Cache Valley, Utah. The study was the initial phase to determine the potential for liquefaction in Cache Valley.

The method used in this study to develop the liquefaction opportunity map was based on a procedure developed by Youd and Perkins (1977).

This opportunity map is proposed to be combined with a map delineating liquefaction susceptible soils to produce a liquefaction potential map. The liquefaction susceptibility map is being developed in a companion study.

The liquefaction potential map will assist in the evaluation of earthquake response in general and microzonation in particular. The liquefaction …

A Study Of Geologic Hazards And Geotechnical Input For Selected Critical Facilities - Cache Valley, Utah, Kenneth Robert Green

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Important public facilities located in Cache Valley, Utah, were studied to assess their exposure to geologic hazards. Also, the level of geotechnical and geologic expertise involved in the siting, design, and construction of critical public facilities was studied. A discussion of several individual facilities, that were exposed to some degree of hazard, was presented to illustrate the nature of the problem.

Earthquake hazards probably constitute the greatest threat to facilities and to the general welfare of the public. Many earthquake hazard mitigation measures were discussed and recommendations were made, based on aseismic design criteria which has been developed for seismically …

Naturally Occurring Organic Compounds Found In Hyrum Reservoir, Utah, Russell Richard Renk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Methods of collecting, concentrating, separating, and identifying organic compounds in natural water systems are presented. These methods were applied to a eutrophic reservoir (Hyrum Reservoir, Utah) and resulted in the identification of the following 27 volatile, organic compounds:

Alcohols: methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, isopropyl alcohol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, isobutyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, 1-pentanol, 2-methyl-l-butanol, methyl-1- butanol, 3-methyl-2-butanol, 2-methyl-2-butanol, 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol, 1-penten-3-ol, 2-methyl-2-pentanol

Ketones: acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, 4-methyl-3-penten-2-one

Aldehydes: acetaldehyde, propanal, 2-buten-1-al

Others: acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, pyridine, 3-methylpyridine, diethyl ether

The concentration level of the following 13 compounds was established in the reservoir from October 1974 to January 1976:

Alcohols: methanol, ethanol, propanol, …

Salt Production From Micro-Channels In The Price River Basin, Utah, Richard Bruce White

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Salt production from micro-channels in the Price River basin of east-central Utah was studied using artificial inputs in order to better define the general sources and processes involved in diffuse source salt release within the basin. An attempt was made to determine what factors are most significant in relation to salt release. The study revealed that the micro-channel systems are highly heterogeneous in relation to salinity. This natural variability tends to increase as the salt content of the channel increases.

The Bluegate member of the Mancos shale was found to be the prime source of salt within the basin. Gypsum …

Development Of A Water Quality Model Applicable To Great Salt Lake, Utah, Craig T. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The development of a model capable of predicting the long term (seasonal) distribution of water quality constituents within Great Salt Lake was undertaken as a portion of the ongoing Great Salt Lake project at Utah State University. The overall goal of the project is the development of a modeling framework to assist the relevant decision making bodies in the comprehensive management of the Great Salt Lake system. Phase I of the project provided the overall structural framework for management of the Great Salt Lake system, identified data needs, and established priorities for the development of submodels for incorporation into the …

Lagoon Effluent Polishing By Soil Mantle Treatment Using Various Utah Soil Types, Roger Scott Tinkey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of four Utah Great Basin soil types in removing particular chemical constituents and select enteric organisms from a sewage lagoon effluent. Sewage taken from the secondary oxidation pond in Logan, Utah was applied daily to lysimeters which allowed samples to be recovered at 7.6 and 38.1 centimeter soil depths. The texture of the soils was the most important physical property affecting their removal capacity. Drainage Farm soil (clay) provided the best bacteriological and overall chemical removal with Nibley (silty clay loam) second, then Draper (sandy loam) and Parleys (silty loam) …

A Hydrologic Model Of The Provo River Basin, Utah, Craig T. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper is to develop a general hydrologic model for use on a digital computer and prove its validity by applying it to a management study of the Provo River Basin. Hydrologic equations have been proposed for each major hydrologic occurrence within a river basin. By linking these equations through restrictions on continuity of mass, a general hydrologic model can be obtained. Such a model becomes the basic tool for studying the management of the river basin hydrology. The paper describes the model components, parameter identification program, and the river basin management program.

An Analytical Study Of The 1971-72 Cooperative Vocational Program In Utah With Comparison To A Guideline For Cooperative Vocational Programs, George C. Ku

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was (1) to develop a guideline for cooperative education; (2) to determine the current status of cooperative vocational education in Utah; and (3) to compare current practices with the established guideline.

This study was completed in two parts. The first part involved the construction and verification of a guideline for cooperative education in Utah; the second, a survey of the current status of cooperative education. A descriptive survey technique was employed to gather data required for determination of the guideline's validity and relevance, and the current status of cooperative education in Utah.

All 13 key …

A Comparison Of Technologist Needs And Training Requirements Of The Major Industries Within The State Of Utah, Gene E. Forsberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The technologist needs and training requirements were determined from a selected cross-section of Utah industrial firms.

The larger industries were significantly more aware of the training requirements and capabilities of four-year technologists than were the smaller firms.

A significant difference was found regarding general and specialized training required by each firm. Thirteen of the 16 responding firms indicated specialized training as being most important.

The 10 areas of technical training rated most critical in their order of importance were: electronics, technical writing, electricity, English, mathematics (calculus and above), machine shop, manufacturing processes, physics, and metallurgy and design.

There was no …

Estimating The Rainfall-Runoff Characteristics Of Selected Small Utah Watersheds, Clive H. Walker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Runoff and rainfall data have been taken from three high mountain Utah watersheds and subjected to runoff to rainfall comparisons. The resulting Q/P ratios have been compared to the average volumes of runoff curve numbers (CN) computed from this data for each watershed. Runoff curve numbers were also estimated on the basis of the soils and vegetation data available for the watersheds.

An attempt has been made to estimate the watershed lag characteristics by computing synthetic hydrographs for successively larger values of time to peak estimates until the best fit comparison was achieved between the snythetic and the actual hydrographs. …

Formulation Of A Mathematical Model For The Allocation Of Colorado River Waters In Utah, Rick L. Gold

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

This report is linked with the work done in fulfillment of the first objective of a research project now underway at the Utah Water Research Laboratory. The project, entitled "Application of Operations Research Techniques for Allocation of Colorado River Waters in Utah," is a matching fund grant by The Office of Water Resources Research of the United States Department of the Interior. The project has the following objectives: (1) formulate the mathematical model of that part of the state that can receive Colorado River water, (2) optimize the allocation model under different demand levels and study the economic effects of …

A Study Of Precipitation Characteristics For Utah, Tsing-Yuan Chang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Data on monthly precipitation for three areas of Southern Utah--Beaver, Cedar City and Ephraim--and three areas of Northern Utah--Salt Lake City, Ogden and Logan--where a series of measuring stations were arranged as traverses from the valleys to the mountain tops; were assembled and analyzed.

The relationships between elevation and precipitation amounts were shown. The Southern Utah stations were drier at the same elevations than the Northern Utah stations and the differences became greater as the elevations increased. There was a close correlation between the high elevation and low elevation stations in the same traverse even with the above divergence.

A …

Soil Moisture As A Factor In Streamflow Forecasting For Logan River, Utah, Yu Kam Fok

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Purpose

Forecasting the annual water supply in an arid area by using the water content of snow on watersheds on some particular date, such as April 1, has become a very useful practice. Although these forecasts have given results of great practical value, they have sometimes been considerably in error. Seeking to minimize error, forecasters have incorporated various additional data such as temperature and antecedent rain to improve the relation between snow measurement and measured runoff.

Numerous methods have been suggested in the search for a reliable streamflow forecasting equation and various data have been used. Nearly all of the …

Survey Of Personnel Practices In Selected Industrial Organizations Of Utah, George R. Clawson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study deals with the factors which were responsible for the origin of personnel functions in a selected group of industrial organizations in the State of Utah. Although material is available concerning the factors which affected the establishment of personnel functions in the United States in general, there is little information regarding these factors in any one region. For this reason, an area study should be of value.