Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Simulation Of Hydrologic Influences On Wetland Ecosystem Succession, Robert A. Pompilio

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the development of a simulation model to determine the effects of hydrological influences on a wetland ecosystem. The model allows perturbations to the inputs of various wetland data which in turn, influences the successional development of the ecosystem. This research consisted of converting a grassland ecosystem model to one which simulates wetland conditions. The critical factor in determining the success of wetland creation is the hydrology of the system. There are four of the areas of the original model which are affected by the hydrology. The model measures the health or success of the ecosystem through …

Modeling Trihalomethane Formation Potential From Wastewater Chlorination, Carol A. Mccormick

Theses and Dissertations

The deletion of federally mandated fecal coliform limits has led many states to review and modify their wastewater disinfection requirements. One issue in analyzing wastewater disinfection is the discharge of potentially carcinogenic halogenated organics formed during the chlorination process. This research investigates the formation of one class of the halogenated organics, the trihalomethanes. The applicability of using drinking water trihalomethane formation models for use with wastewater effluent is examined. Three models are compared for predictive capability by using measured trihalomethane values from previous research data. The results show that a previously developed model is applicable for use based on assumptions …

Optimal Pulsed Pumping For Aquifer Remediation When Contaminant Transport Is Affected By Rate-Limited Sorption: A Calculus Of Variation Approach, Richard T. Hartman

Theses and Dissertations

The remediation of groundwater contamination continues to persist as a social and economic problem due to increased governmental regulations and public health concerns. Additionally, the geochemistry of the aquifer and the contaminant transport within the aquifer complicates the remediation process to restore contaminated aquifers to conditions compatible with health-based standards. Currently, the preferred method for aquifer cleanup pump-and-treat has several limitations including, the persistence of sorbed chemicals on soil matrix and the long term operation and maintenance expense. The impetus of this research was to demonstrate that a calculus of variations approach could be applied to a pulsed pumping aquifer …

Bulletin 4279 - Streamlining - An Environmentally Sustainable Drainage Network For The Swan Coastal Plain (Peel-Harvey Catchment), Garry Heady, Neil Guise

Bulletins 4000 -

Community Catchment Centre Pinjarra

A network of over 1400 kilometres of drains and modified natural waterways constructed by the Public Works Department criss-crosses the Peel-Harvey catchment. There are also over 3300 kilometres of minor drains and natural waterways in this same region.

The expansion of agriculture relied on this extensive drainage network, which was designed to ensure rapid drainage of the region. Unfortunately there was little regard to future environmental consequences.

Along with drainage water, these same drains now carry high loads of silt and nutrients. Many of the drains are also degraded and require expensive maintenance annually.

Modeling Of Ground Water Aquifer Remediation By Pulsed Pumping When Contaminant Transport Is Affected By Physical, Non-Equilibrium Sorption And Desorption, Jeffrey L. Caspers

Theses and Dissertations

This research postulates and demonstrates a modification incorporating rate-limited sorption effects in the USGS SUTRA code for cleanup of a hypothetical sandy aquifer by pump-and-treat remediation methods. Contaminant transport is assumed to be affected by advection, dispersion, and rate-limited sorption/desorption. Sorption is assumed to be either equilibrium or rate-limited, with the rate-limitation described by either a first-order law, or by Fickian diffusion of contaminant through a spherical immobile pore region. Solutions are arrived at by split operator methods for the transport and one-dimensional Galerkin solutions for the solute concentration equations. The resulting model is tested against an analytical Laplace transform …

In Situ Bioremediation Of Contaminated Unsaturated Subsurface Soils, Joseph L. Sims, R. C. Sims, R. R. Dupont, J. E. Mathews, M. M. Russell

Reports

An emerging technology for the remediation of unsaturated subsurface soils involves the use of microorganisms to degrade contaminants which are present in such soils. Understanding the processes which drive in situ bioremediation, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the utilization of these systems, are issues which have been identified by the Regional Superfund Engineering Forum as concerns of Superfund decision makers.

Regionalization Of Hydrologic Information In Tanzania (Low Flows), Onyekwuluje C

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Hydrologic infornjation is required for the planning and design Ofwater resource projects. However, Hydrologic infonnation is always lacking at points of interest. Regionalization is ained at estimating hydrologic infor- mation such as low flow statistics at ungauged sites. Hydrologic informa- tion from 63 catchments in Tanzania has been analysed. In this paper, pooled flow duration curves for 1, IO, 30, 60, and 90 days duration have been established. Regression equations between the low flow indices (i.e. 95 percentile and for a IO day duration, average annual yield (AAY), av- erage daily flow (ADE)) and catchment characteristics were developed. The pooled …

Selecting Controls For Water Distribution Systems, J. Paul Tullis

Reports

One of the key requirements for reliable operations of a water supply system is a thorough analysis and proper selection of the control valves and pumps. For valves, selection criteria includes capacity, pressure loss, controllability, torque, cavitation and transients. Pump selection requires matching the pump performance to varying system demands. Examples are given for single pump operation and use of pumps in series and parallel. When future demands exceed the original design conditions, or if significant changes are required in the operation of the system, each important control device should be analyzed to see if it can operate safely at …

Antecedent Moisture Conditions For Utah Local Storm Probable Maximum Floods, Travis S. Taylor, David S. Bowles

Reports

Introduction: The critical inflow design flood for most dams in Utah is the probable maximum flood (PMF) resulting from the local storm probable maximum precipitation (PMP) event. Commonly, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number method is used to determine the PMF from the local storm PMP. An important factor in this determination is the assumption of antecedent moisture conditions (AMC) existing immediately prior to the onset of the PMP event. At one northern Utah dam site the use of AMC III increased the PMF peak flowrate by 50 percent over the peak obtained when AMC II was used (Win …

The Study Of Resistance And Stability Of Vegetation In Flood Channels, William Rahmeyer, David Werth, Rob Cleere

Reports

Preface: The following report was prepared by the Utah Water Research Laboratory of Utah State University in Logan, Utah. The report contains the data and conclusions of flow tests conducted with different types of shrubs and woody vegetation in the hydraulics flumes of Utah State University. The funding agency for this project was the U.S. Army Engineers Waterwasy Experiment Stations, Vicksburg, MS.; Project Name - Flood Control Channels; Work Unit Title - Stability of Vegetative Cover in Flood Control Channels; Work Unit No - 337A3; Federal Contract No - DACW39-94-K-0009. The study was the result of a proposal submitted in …

Low Frequency Climate Variability: Understanding The Rise And Fall Of The Great Salt Lake, Michael E. Mann, Upmanu Lall, Barry Saltzman

Reports

Connections between the Great Salt Lake (GSL) volume (V) and large-scale climate variations are developed through an analysis of the time series of the month-to-month differences in V (change in V), local precipitation and streamflow, and gridded U.S. sea level pressure and global temperature data. We isolate decadal and secular mdoes of cliamte variability that are coherent with change in V variations. The decadal variations results from a low-frequency north-south shifting of storm tracks which influence winter precipitation. These variations describe nearly 18% of the interannual variance in change in V, while the secular trend accounts for only ~1.5%. The …

The Great Salt Lake: A Barometer Of Low Frequency Climate Variability, Upmanu Lall, Michael Mann

Reports

Low frequency (interannual or longer period) climatic variability is of interest bacause of its sugnificance for the understanding and prediction of protracted climatic anomalies. Closed basin lakes are sensitive to long term climatic fluctuations and integrate out high frequency variability. It is thus natural to examine the records of such lakes to better understand long term climate dynamics. Here we use Singular Spectral Analysis (SSA) and Multi-Taper Spectral Analysis (MTM) to analyze the time series of Great Slat Lake (GSL) monthly volume changes from 1848-1992, and monthly precipitation, temperature and streamflow for nearby stations with 74 or more years of …

Utah Water Research Laboratory Publications Listing 1989-1994, David S. Bowles, Leaunda S. Hemphill

Reports

No abstract provided.

A Spatially Distributed Energy Balance Snowmelt Model, David G. Tarboton, Tanveer G. Chowdhury, Thomas H. Jackson

Reports

This paper describes an energy balance snowmelt model developed for the prediction of rapid snowmelt rates responsible for soil erosion and water input to a distributed water balance model. The model uses a lumped representation of the snowpack with two state variables, namely, water equivalent and energy content relative to a reference state of water in the ice phase at 0 degrees Celcius. This energy content is used to determine snowpack average temperature of liquid fraction. This representation of the snowpack is used to determine snowpack average temperature of liquid fraction. This representation of the snowpack is used in a …

Measurements And Modeling Of Snow Energy Balance And Sublimation From Snow, David G. Tarboton

Reports

Snow melt runoff is an important factor in runoff generation for most Utah rivers and a large contributer to Utah's water supply and periodically flooding. The melting of snow is driven by fluxes of energy into the snow during warm periods. These consist of radiant energy from the sun and atmosphere, sensible and latent heat transfers due to turbulent energy exchanges at the snow surface and a relatively small ground flux from below. The turbulent energy exchanges are also responsible for sublimation from the snow surface, particularly in arid environments, and result in a loss of snow water equivalent available …

The Source Hydrology Of Severe Sustained Drought In Th Southwestern U.S., David G. Tarboton

Reports

This paper considers the risk of drought and develops drough scenarios for use in the study of severe sustained drought in the Southwestern United States. The focus is on the Colorado River gbasin and regions to which Colorado River water is exported, especially southern California, which depends on water from the Colorado River as well as the four major rivers in northern California. Drought scenarios are developed using estimates of unimpaired historic streamflow as well as reconstructions of streamflow based on tree ring widths. Drought scenarios in the Colorado River are defined on the basis of annual flow at Lees …

Identification Of Tire Leachate Toxicants And A Risk Assessment Of Water Quality Effects Using Tire Reefs In Canals, S. M. Nelson, G. Mueller, D. C. Hemphill, U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Cover is an important component of aquatic habitat and fisheries management. Fisheries biologists often try to improve habitats through the addition of natural and artificial material to improve cover diversity and complexity. Habitat-improvement programs range from submerging used Christmas trees to more complex programs using sophisticated artificial habitat modules. Used automobile tires have been employed in the large scale construction of reefs and fish attractors in marine environments and to a lesser extent in freshwater and have been recognized as a durable, inexpensive and long-lasting material which benefits fishery communities.

Recent studies by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have quantified …

A Conceptual Approach To Water Resources Management For A Catchment In Tanzania, F Mwanuzi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

In hydrology/Water resources, normally rainfall data are available for longer periods than runoff data. Many attempts have been made to extend these runoff data by using system approach and conceptual models. The conceptual approach to simulate runoff at the outlet ofa catchment is based on the physical processes involved in the transformation of rainfall into runoff (river flow). In this paper a conceptual model, (SEAMOD) has been used. This model has a limited number of parameters to optimize when compared to other models like the sacramental model. Also it requires less input data. The model assumes that the storage is …

Development Of Computer Software To Aid Environmental Decision Makers In The Education And Training Of Air Force Remedial Project Managers, Roger R. Ouellette, Bruce K. Lyman

Theses and Dissertations

By the end of Fiscal Year 1991, the Air Force had identified 4,354 contaminated sites. Much like the 177 toxic sites at McClellan AFB, bases across the country and throughput the world are filled with chrome, lead, paint solvents and many other toxics that are rendering water supplies unusable and endangering the health of millions of people living in and around these bases. Air Force officials continue to identify contaminated sites with no end in sight. Since the cleanup of these toxic materials involves diverse, complex activities, the Air Force created the duty position of Remedial Project Manager to manage …

Guidance For The Development Of Air Force Storm Water Sampling Programs, Jerry K. Weldon Iii, Roy T. Willis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop sampling guidance that will enable Air Force (AF) installations to conduct cost effective storm water sampling in accordance with current storm water regulations. Data on the techniques used by AF bases to obtain storm water samples for the AF group storm water permit application were collected and analyzed. This information was used to outline management and resource requirements associated with the implementation of NPDES storm water regulations. The use of in-house personnel, automatic sampling equipment, or a contractor to perform the field data collection was examined. An in-house manual approach to storm …

A Plan For Coordinating Department Of Defense Emissions Trading, Charles H. Weir

Theses and Dissertations

The original purpose of this research was to develop a plan to coordinate emissions trading between DoD installations. During the course of this research, findings indicated that restrictions on emissions trading would make such a plan of limited applicability. However, findings did indicate the need for a tool to assist managers with selecting the netting, offset, and banking emissions trading alternatives. Developing this tool became the objective of this research. This objective was fulfilled by developing a management guide to assist environmental managers with selecting the emissions trading alternatives netting, banking, and offsets. Background information was collected by examining literature …

Analytical Modeling Of Aquifer Decontamination By Pulsed Pumping When Contaminant Transport Is Affected By Rate-Limited Sorption And Desorption, Thomas A. Adams, Robert C. Viramontes

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores radially convergent contaminated transport in an aquifer towards an extraction well. This thesis presents the equations governing the transport of a contaminant during aquifer remediation by pulsed pumping. Contaminant transport is assumed to be affected by radial advection, dispersion, and sorption/desorption. Sorption is assumed to be either equilibrium or rate-limited, with the rate-limitation described by either a first-order law, or by Fickian diffusion of contaminant through layered, cylindrical, or spherical immobile water regions. The equations are derived using an arbitrary initial distribution of contaminant in both the mobile and immobile regions, and they are analytically solved in …

Evaluation Of The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Standard For Cleanup Of Petroleum Contaminated Sites, Rick A. Blaisdell, Mark E. Smallwood

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbon) cleanup standard for petroleum contaminated soils (PCS). A survey of 13 state regulators was performed to characterize current standards and regulatory viewpoints on the use of a TPH versus a BTEX cleanup standard. The regulatory community considers the BTEX constituents the greatest threat to groundwater, yet expressed concern that the use of a compound specific standard, without an accompanying analysis for TPH, might result in residual soil contamination that may present risk. This study also evaluated the ratio of BTEX TPH in soil over time. Based on JP-4 contaminated site soil data, …

Drainage Basins And Flash Flood Hazards In Al-Ain Area, United Arab Emirates, Moza Hamad Al-Shamsi

Civil and Environmental Theses

Flash flood strike different parts of Al-Ain area virtually every year causing Serious property loses this study investigates the main factors control ling this Flooding, namely. (a) Climate, (b) geomorphology, and (c) hydrogeology Climatically, mo t of rainstorms do occur during the month of February. Geomorphologic ally, the landforms and drainage systems are the main factors. Hydrogeological, twenty basins were carefully identified and their morphometric Parameters were measured the relations between these morphometric parameters and flash floods were accordingly assessed. The results show that most severe damage did occur in buildings and farms in Al Ain Area the most influential …

Simulation Of Daily Precipitation From A Nonparametric Renewal Model, Balaji Rajagopalan, Upmanu Lall, David G. Tarboton

Reports

Wet/dry spell characteristics of daily precipitation are of interest for a number of hydrologic applications (e.g., flood forecasting or assessment of erosion potential). Here, we examine issues related to designing an appropriate nonparametric scheme that focuses on spell characteristics for resampling historically daily precipitation data. A subset of the nonparametric wet/dry spell model presented in Lall et al (1993) is tested with synthetic data to justify the strategy proposed for applications. An application of the nonparametric wet/dry spell model to a Utah data set follows. Performance is judged on a set of statistical measures. Numerical comparisons of model performance with …

A Kernel Quantile Function Estimator For Flood Frequency Analysis, Young-Ii Moon, Upmanu Lall

Reports

A kernel estimator (KQ) of the quantile function is presented here. Boundary kernels are used for extrapolation of tail quantiles. The bandwidth of the estimator is chosen using an automatic, "plus-in" method. Confidence intervals for the estimated quantile are estimated by bootstrapping. Comparisons of the estimator with selected tail probability estimators are offered. The KQ estimator presented here is shown to be competitive with other estimators.

Effectiveness Determination Of Two Different Water-Saving Devices For Toilet Tanks, C. Earl Israelsen, Gilberto Urroz

Reports

Introduction: The project was successful in obtaining eight different brands of new toilet tanks in the 3.5 gals-per-flish-bariety, and two used ones requiring 5.0 gals per flish. The tanks were installed on a t atime on a padded stell frame and connected to a water supply. The float was adjusted to maintain the water in the tank at the level recommended by the manufacturer. When the flush and shut-off mechanisms were adjusted properly, the testing begain.

A Prototype Computer Based Tutorial For The Use Of Highway Patrol Radar Guns, William J. Grenney, Thad E. Senti

Reports

Executive Summary: The software contained in this package, termed POSAT (Police Officer Standards and Training) is the prototype knowledge-base decision support system developed specifically for the Utah State Police Academy. All police officers must be certified annual for the use of radar guns. This self-study computer program is intended to reduce the cost of providing field training for hundreds of police officers each year. By installing the POSAT software at remote locations, polic officers within a certain districut need only to travel to the nearest remote testing sight to take the exam and renew their radar certification. POSAT automatically transmits …

Computer Methodology For Transportation Agencies To Screen Technologies For Hazardous Waste Remediation, William J. Grenney, Ravi Kumar Penmetsa

Reports

Executive Summary: Many pathways exist for transportation agencies and other public and private agencies to become responsible for sites contaminated by hazardous wastes. As a reult, agencies frequently face a multitude of lega, regulatory, financial, technical, and health risk problems. When transportation agencies become involved in the remediation of hazardous waste sites, the common practice is to hire consultants and contractors for the clean up process. Because the field of hazardous waste site remediation is changing so rapidly, agency personnel evaluating the consultant's recommendations need to ahve access to the most recent regulatory and remediation information. Early stages of the …

Development Of Mountain Climate Generator And Snowpack Model For Erosion Predictions In The Western United States Using Wepp: Phase Iv, David S. Bowles, U. Lall, D. G. Tarboton, E. Malek, B. Rajagopalan, T. Chowdhury, E. Kluzak

Reports

Executive Summary: Introduction: This report summarizes work conducted during the funding period (December 1, 1991 through September 30, 1992) of a Research Joint Venture Agreement between the Intermountain Research Station, Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture and the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL), Utah State University (USU). The purpose of the agreement is to develop a Western Mountain Cilmate Generator (MCLIGEN) similar in function to the existing (non-orographic area) Climate Generator (CLIGEN), which is part of the Water Erosion Prediciton Project (WEPP) procedure. Aso, we are developing a Western U.S. Snowpack Simulation Model for includsion in WEPP. In the …