Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Information For Operation Of Water Supply Systems, L. Douglas James, Glen E. Stringham, J. Clair Batty

Reports

Introduction: Water requirements increase as more people use more water for domestic purposes. The increase is augmented as technological advances add to the water needs of agriculture and industry. Additional urban landscaping adds further to the demand. Simultaneously, the same forces increase demands for flood control, hydrelectric power, and navigation; and a more urbanized population want more flows preserved for productive natural environments, recreational use, and aesthetic enjoyment. The response over the years to these growing demands on water resources has been to supply increasing amounts of water and greater levels of development for other purposes by building more projects, …

Hydrologic Efficiency In Water Conservation, L. Douglas James

Reports

Introduction: The hydrologic cycle can be subdivided into three phases: 1)Humidity is transported within the atmosphere and becomes precipitation, and 2) Water moves downhill until eventually reaching the sea while all the time 3) Evapotranspiration returns exposed moisture to the atmosphere. During its movement, flowing water transports suspended sediments and dissolved minerals to reshape landforms and redistribute the mineral composition of the earth's surface throughout geologic time. It is during the second phase that flowing water can be diverted for uses that generally add to evaportranspiration (through consumptive use) and transport (through waste disposal). The water resources development that serves …

Urban Particulate Matter Activates Akt In Human Lung Cells, T. L. Watterson, B. Hamilton, Randy S. Martin, R. A. Coloumb Jr.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The normally picturesque Cache Valley in northern Utah is frequently reported to have the worst particulate (PM) air pollution in the United States. Numerous epidemiological studies conducted elsewhere have associated PM exposure to a variety of cardiovascular diseases and early mortality. We have previously shown that Cache Valley PM (CVPM) is pro-inflammatory, through a variety of mechanisms involving the release of inflammatory cytokines, unfolded protein response, ER stress, and C-reactive protein (CRP). This study was undertaken to determine whether Cache Valley PM (CVPM) would activate Akt, an upstream mechanism common to these events. Human lung (BEAS-2B) cells were treated with …

Optimizing Reservoir-Stream-Aquifer Interactions For Conjunctive Use And Hydropower Production, Hala Fayad, Richard C. Peralta, Ali Forghani

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Conjunctive management of water resources involves coordinating use of surface water and groundwater resources. Very few simulation/optimization (S-O) models for stream-aquifer system management have included detailed interactions between groundwater, streams, and reservoir storage. This paper presents an S-O model doing that via artificial neural network simulators and genetic algorithm optimizer for multiobjective conjunctive water use problems. The model simultaneously addresses all significant flows including reservoir-stream-diversion-aquifer interactions in a more detailed manner than previous models. The model simultaneously maximizes total water provided and hydropower production. A penalty function implicitly poses constraints on state variables. The model effectively finds feasible optimal solutions …

The Cuahsi Community Hydrologic Information System (Invited), David G. Tarboton, D. R. Maidment, I. Zaslavsky, Daniel Ames, J. L. Goodall, R. P. Hooper, Jeffery S. Horsburgh

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Hydrologic information is collected by many individuals and organizations in government and academia for many purposes, including general monitoring of the condition of the water environment and specific investigations of hydrologic processes. Comprehensive understanding of hydrology requires integration of this information from multiple sources. The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) has developed a Hydrologic Information System (HIS) to provide better access to data by enabling the publication, cataloging, discovery and retrieval of hydrologic data using web services. This paper describes HIS capability developed to promote data sharing and interoperability in the Hydrologic Sciences with …

Evaluation And Seismically Isolated Substructure Redesign Of A Typical Multi-Span Pre-Stressed Concrete Girder Highway Bridge, Brian D. Richins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seismic considerations greatly influence the lateral and vertical design of a structure, often necessitating larger elements than would otherwise be required. Seismic isolation greatly reduces the demands on a structure due to earthquake loading, allowing the use of smaller, more efficient members and foundations. This case study illustrates the theory and procedure of evaluating the response of a recently built multi-span highway bridge using the most recent (2009) AASHTO code. Based on this response, an equivalent structure was designed to incorporate a seismic isolation system, and the substructure of the isolated bridge redesigned to meet the reduced demands more economically. …

Environmental Sensor Anomaly Detection Using Learning Machines, Erick F. Conde

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The search for improvements in the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) of real-time environmental measurements has been a field well exploited in recent years. These measurements describe actual environmental conditions and processes that provide relevant information upon which water quality management decisions are based. In situ sensors (located at the site of interest) are commonly used for such real-time measurement purposes. However, the performance of these types of sensors can be affected by such things as human factors, lack of necessary maintenance, flaws on the transmission line or any part of the sensor, and unexpected changes in the sensors surrounding conditions. …

Effect Of Vegetation On The Accumulation And Melting Of Snow At The Tw Daniels Experimental Forest, Vinod Mahat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Snow melt is an important component of Western US water resources, accounting for about 50-80% of the annual runoff. Water resources management requires prediction of runoff from snowmelt accounting for the variability of vegetation present in heterogeneous watersheds. This dissertation has examined ways to improve snowmelt modeling capability to better account for vegetation canopy effects on snowmelt and has presented enhancements to an energy balance model that include i) an improved representation of the transmission of radiation through the canopy, ii) an improved representation of the atmospheric transport of heat and water vapor between the snow on the ground, in …

Managing Water Shortages In The Weber Basin Using The Water Evaluation And Planning (Weap) System, Bereket K. Tesfatsion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water is a scarce natural resource while the demand for water grows constantly. In Utah, most of the water resources have already been developed. In addition, Utah is prone to drought events and the effects of climate change may exacerbate the already dire situation. Hence, managing this scarce resource efficiently is very important in meeting the growing demand.

Reservoirs are used to store water which is subsequently released to meet demands. For management purposes, reservoirs have different zones such as flood control zone, conservation zone, buffer zone and inactive zone. Water is normally released from the conservation zone. The water …

Analysis Of The Import, Export, And Bioavailability Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Within Pineview Reservoir, Brady K. Worwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to provide new and useful data about Pineview Reservoir and its watershed, produce water and phosphorus (P) budgets for Pineview Reservoir, test the validity of conclusions made in the Pineview Reservoir Total Maximum Daily Loading (TMDL) document, and create estimates of nitrogen (N) loading to the reservoir from both surface and ground water sources. The production of the water and P budgets, as well as the N loading estimates, was accomplished by measuring flow, nitrate, ammonium, total phosphorus (TP), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) that was entering and exiting the reservoir through surface water sources and …

Ultrasonic Flow Measurement For Pipe Installations With Non-Ideal Conditions, Devin M. Stoker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the arid west, water is among the most valuable of resources. One of the most critical aspects of water resource management is that of flow measurement. Accurate flow measurement data is needed to effectively manage any water distribution system, whether for culinary or irrigation use. In order to successfully and accurately measure water flow in pipes, it is recommended that a straight section of pipe be installed immediately upstream from the flow meter to avoid distorted flow patterns at the metering location. In many existing piping scenarios, however, such flow conditions are impossible to achieve.

The performance of ultrasonic …

Movement Of Air Through Submerged Air Vents, Clay W. Woods

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Utah Water Research Lab (UWRL) proposes to study the behavior of air bubbles in submerged vent tubes. This study is coordinated with a study for the Las Vegas wastewater treatment system that discharges into Lake Mead. The UWRL collaborates with government agencies and private companies to research water-related issues around the world. The behavior of air bubbles is of interest in order to more efficiently vent air from pipelines with submerged vent tubes. The Las Vegas wastewater treatment system discharges into Lake Mead and is required to meet an environmental guideline that no air bubbles are discharged into the …

Fish Passage Through Rehabilitated Culverts Laboratory Study, Amber H. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Slip lining culverts represent a low-cost technique that can restore life to decaying culverts. However, slip liners are smoother than typical host culverts; therefore, they generate higher flow velocities and lower flow depths within the culvert, which are fish passage barriers. One way to mitigate these barriers is by installing baffles. Unfortunately baffles can jeopardize the flow capacity of the culvert.

The Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) at Utah State University contracted with the Utah Department of Transportation for $85,000 to test the effectiveness of baffles in improving fish passage through culverts. The goal of this project was to identify …

Air Demand In Low-Level Outlet Works, Jason Arthur Larchar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most dams have a low-level outlet that consists of a closed conduit through the dam with a slide gate or valve to regulate flow. These outlets are used mainly for irrigational purposes but also for flushing the reservoir and controlling the reservoir elevation. When discharging through the low-level outlet works, negative pressures can develop on the downstream side of the gate creating a potential for cavitation damage and vibration. To minimize these effects, air vents (vented to the atmosphere) are installed on the downstream side of the gate to limit downstream pressure to something above vapor pressure (i.e., near atmospheric …

Bayesian Sediment Transport Model For Unisize Bed Load, Mark L. Schmelter, Mevin B. Hooten, David King Stevens

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Fluvial sediment transport studies have long underscored the difficulty in reliablyestimating transport model parameters, collecting accurate observations, and makingpredictions because of measurement error, natural variability, and conceptual modeluncertainty. Thus, there is a need to identify modeling frameworks that accommodate theserealities while incorporating functional relationships, providing probability-basedpredictions, and accommodating for conceptual model discrimination. Bayesian statisticalapproaches have been widely used in a number of disciplines to accomplish just this, yetapplications in sediment transport are few. In this paper we propose and demonstrate aBayesian statistical approach to a simple sediment transport problem as a means toovercome some of these challenges. This approach provides …

Advancing Solutions For An Earthcube Design. What Can Be Learned From The Cuahsi His Experience? An Earthcube Design Approaches Paper, David G. Tarboton, David Maidment, Ilya Zaslavsky, Jon Goodall, Dan Ames, Richard P. Hooper, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Kimberly A. T. Schreuders, Ray Idaszak, Alva Couch

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The EarthCube goal of creating an infrastructure for managing and integrating knowledge across all geosciences in an open, transparent and inclusive manner aligns well with the overarching goals for the work that has been done in CUAHSI on Hydrologic Information Systems. CUAHSI has taken some steps in this direction, but a lot remains to be done. This paper describes these steps and makes some suggestions for the path ahead.

Improving The Interoperability Of Earth Observations, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, David G. Tarboton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In the history of science, many significant advances have resulted from new measurements. Despite the growing volume and sophistication of scientific theorizing of the past several decades, the ultimate source of information in many scientific disciplines is field observations and measurements. What is emerging today is an era of new data collection in the context of larger scale hydrologic and environmental observatories and in response to calls from leaders in the scientific community for new observing systems (e.g., data networks, field observations, and field experiments) that recognize the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of earth processes. These new data collection efforts …

The Open Geospatial Consortium And Earthcube, An Earthcube Technology Paper, David Maidment, Ben Domenico, Alastair Gemmell, Kerstin Lehnert, David G. Tarboton, Ilya Zaslavsky

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

EarthCube aims to create an integrated system to access, analyze and share information that is used by the entire geosciences community. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an organization of which more than four hundred companies and agencies are members, whose purpose is to create open source standards for sharing geospatial and observational information. The authors of this paper are users of OGC standards in our work in hydrology, meteorology, climatology, oceanography and in the solid earth sciences, in other words, in key disciplinary fields that contribute to the Geosciences. Moreover, the OGC has an effective process for engaging individuals …

Managing Hydrologic Data, Observations And Terrain Analysis, David G. Tarboton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Estimating Yield Of Irrigated Potatoes Using Aerial And Satellite Remote Sensing, Saravanan Sivarajan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Multispectral aerial and satellite remote sensing plays a major role in crop yield prediction due to its ability to detect crop growth conditions on spatial and temporal scales in a cost effective manner. Many empirical relationships have been established in the past between spectral vegetation indices and leaf area index, fractional ground cover, and crop growth rates for different crops through ground sampling. Remote sensing-based vegetation index (VI) yield models using airborne and satellite data have been developed only for grain crops like barley, corn, wheat, and sorghum. So it becomes important to validate and extend the VI-based model for …

Bayesian Data-Driven Models For Irrigation Water Management, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A crucial decision in the real-time management of today’s irrigation systems involves the coordination of diversions and delivery of water to croplands. Since most irrigation systems experience significant lags between when water is diverted and when it should be delivered, an important technical innovation in the next few years will involve improvements in short-term irrigation demand forecasting.

The main objective of the researches presented was the development of these critically important models: (1) potential evapotranspiration forecasting; (2) hydraulic model error correction; and (3) estimation of aggregate water demands. These tools are based on statistical machine learning or data-driven modeling. These, …

Structural Identification And Damage Identification Using Output-Only Vibration Measurements, Shutao Xing

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation studied the structural identification and damage detection of civil engineering structures. Several issues regarding structural health monitoring were addressed.

The data-driven subspace identification algorithm was investigated for modal identification of bridges using output-only data. This algorithm was tested through a numerical truss bridge with abrupt damage as well as a real concrete highway bridge with actual measurements. Stabilization diagrams were used to analyze the identified results and determine the modal characteristics. The identification results showed that this identification method is quite effective and accurate.

The influence of temperature fluctuation on the frequencies of a highway concrete bridge was …

Value Landscape Engineering: Identifying Costs, Water Use, Labor, And Impacts To Support Landscape Choice., Kelly Kopp, Larry Rupp, Paul G. Johnson, Roger K. Kjelgren, David E. Rosenberg, Heidi Kratsch

CWEL Publications

We present a spreadsheet model that identifies the costs, water, labor, fertilizer, pesticides, fuel, energy, carbon emissions, and particulates required of and generated by a user-specified residential or commercial landscape over its economic life. This life includes site preparation, materials purchase, installation, annual maintenance and replacing landscape features that wear out or die. Users provide a variety of site-descriptive information and the model queries an extensive database of landscape data to calculate costs, required inputs, and impacts. We verified model results against observations of water, labor, fertilizer, and fuel use over eight years at three landscapes in the Salt Lake …

Simple And Appropriate Methods For Household Water Treatment, Morris Elya Demitry

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

Shortage of drinking water is the big challenge for Sudan. The cost of water treatment is the main reason for using untreated water for drinking purposes in many urban areas in Sudan. Water born‐diseases (diarrhea, typhoid, etc) are common and there are many victims in unimproved urban areas in Khartoum (Sudan) due to poor or the lack of treatment of drinking water.

In this work, a simple and appropriate method (sand filter) for household water treatment was tested and developed. The main objective of using this method is to help people in urban areas without access to treated water to …

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 …

Improving Concrete Containment Structures Associated With Fixed-Cone Valves, B. Skyler Buck

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

Fixed-Cone valves are often used to dissipate energy and regulate flow at the low level outlet works of dams. Fixed-Cone valves, also known as Howell-Bunger valves, create an expanding conical jet allowing the energy of the water to dissipate over a large area. However, in many applications constructing the large stilling basin necessary for these valves is either not possible or not feasible. In order to reduce the relative size of the stilling basin, hoods or concrete containment structures have been used in conjunction with Fixed-Cone valves. This paper compares two methods of energy dissipation used in conjunction with concrete …

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 …

Canal Wave Oscillation Phenomena Due To Column Vortex Shedding, Adam M. Howes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The GARVEE Transportation Program started by the Idaho Transportation Department has improved parts of I-84 in Boise, Idaho. These desired improvements led to the widening of a bridge over the New York Canal (NYC) in 2009. To support the wider road, additional bridge columns were installed. The new bridge columns had a larger diameter than the existing columns and raised the number of columns from 28 to 60.

Construction was completed just before the irrigation season began. During the first irrigation season it was observed that waves and oscillations were occurring within the canal immediately adjacent to the bridge structure. …

Water And Energy Balance Of A Riparian And Agricultural Ecosystem Along The Lower Colorado River, Saleh Taghvaeian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spatially-distributed water consumption was modeled over a segment of the Lower Colorado River, which contains irrigated agricultural and Tamarisk-dominated riparian ecosystems. For the irrigation scheme, distributed evapotranspiration data were analyzed in conjunction with point measurements of precipitation and surface flow in order to close daily and annual water balance. The annual closure error was less than 1% of the total water diversion to the area. In addition, it was found that the soil water storage component of the water balance cannot be neglected if the analysis is performed over time frames shorter than annual (e.g. growing season).

Water consumption was …

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 …