Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Arsenic Release From Surface Soils Induced By Stormwater Bioretention, Kaisa H. Patterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element known for its chronic and acute toxicity. The solubility of arsenic is highly dependent on environmental conditions. The soils of Cache Valley, UT, contain naturally occurring arsenic.

Bioretention systems rely on a combined plant-soil system to remove pollutants carried by stormwater, typically nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, and select metals. Phosphate from stormwater potentially increases arsenic mobility, which makes stormwater pollutant loading an important factor for evaluating risks associated with stormwater bioretention. Pollutant removal in these systems occurs through sorption of contaminants onto the soils, physical filtration by the soil media, and uptake by …

Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Using A Multi-Objective Optimization Tool For Best Management Practices Selection And Spatial Placement In The Lower Bear River Watershed, Utah, Ali A. Salha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation presents a set of approaches to help address water quality problems related to total phosphorus loads in water bodies. Water quality degradation is caused by many nonpoint sources such as agricultural runoff, fertilizers applications, and bank erosion. Three studies present methodologies for water quality protection from degradation in watersheds. The first study demonstrates the application of a watershed simulation tool that can quantify flows in the watershed, the amount of released pollutants and identify the areas contributing to the pollutants’ release in the watershed. The second study presents a simple combination tool that can pair potential management practices …

Experimental Static And Cyclic Behavior Of Hybrid Non-Metallic Bridge Decks Reinforced With Discrete Gfrp Rebar And Gfrp Macrofiber, Jared W. Mcrory

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bridge deck corrosion is a major expense in the U.S. every year. The increased use of deicing salts in cold weather climates has led to corrosion of the steel reinforcement in bridge decks, which leads to spalling and delamination of the concrete cover. This results in costly rehabilitations or repairs, and more sustainable bridge deck solutions must be provided to prevent this cycle.

As a part of this research project, a corrosion-resistant, hybrid reinforcement strategy that is shown to be cost neutral with epoxy coated rebar is proposed. The hybrid reinforcement strategy, consisting of discrete Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) …

Energy Dissipation Of Type A Piano Key Weirs, Kam R. Eslinger, Brian M. Crookston

Publications

A Piano Key weir (PK weir) is a nonlinear, labyrinth-type weir well suited for rehabilitation projects due to a relatively small footprint and the ability to pass large discharges for lesser upstream-head values when compared with other weir types. A critical component of a hydraulic structure is the energy-dissipative properties. Currently, information and guidance is limited, with previous energy dissipation studies of PK weirs primarily of specific projects. Therefore, to document and quantify energy dissipation, four laboratory-scale Type A PK weir models with different width ratios (W_i/W_o) were studied, with 255 tests comprising this new …

Dynamics Of The Ionospheric Energetics (Dione) 2018, Ryan Davidson, Charles Swenson

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Sharing Of Multidimensional Space-Time Date In A Next Generation Hydrologic Information System, Tian Gan, David G. Tarboton, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Pabitra Dash, Ray Idaszak, Hong Yi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In hydrologic research, there is a need to manage, archive, and publish data in a discoverable way to increase data reuse, transparency, and reproducibility. Multidimensional space-time data are commonly used in hydrologic research, and systems are needed for sharing and exchanging such data. Simply exchanging files may result in loss of metadata information and can be challenging when files are large. We developed an approach to manage, share, and publish multidimensional space-time data in HydroShare, a next generation hydrologic information system and domain specific repository. This paper presents the design, development, and testing of this approach. We selected the Network …

Lecture Notes: Nonlinear Optimization And Matlab Optimization Toolbox Example, Lina Sela

All ECSTATIC Materials

No abstract provided.

Lecture Notes: Multi-Objective Optimization, Lina Sela

All ECSTATIC Materials

No abstract provided.

Video Conversations - The Future Of The Colorado River, John C. Schmidt, David E. Rosenberg

All ECSTATIC Materials

This video series explores key Colorado River management issues with key managers across the basin. Video discussions in the table on the next page are presented in the order they were recorded. Topics include river ecosystems, California, Upper Basin, Tribal, and Federal perspectives, as well as future hydrology and climate. Each video runs for 60 to 90 minutes. Speakers start by describing how they got to the place they are professionally. There are prepared remarks and questions and answers from participants who attended at the time the video was recorded. Links to suggested readings are provided. Click the VIDEO url …

Extending Water Resources Performance Metrics To River Ecosystems, Belize A. Lane, J. Pablo Ortiz-Partida, Samuel Sandoval-Solis

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A persistent challenge in integrated water management is the ability to accurately evaluate human and ecological tradeoffs. Two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic models are frequently used to evaluate water management alternatives concerning aquatic species physical habitat needs or preferences. Recent studies have assessed the timing or duration of suitable habitat conditions, but no standardized approach exists to integrate and interpret ecohydraulic model outputs within a water management framework. Such an approach is needed to maximize the information obtained from model outputs and to facilitate communication between river scientists and water managers. This study presents a general framework to aggregate and summarize 2D …

Influence Of Model Grid Size On The Estimation Of Surface Fluxes Using The Two Source Energy Balance Model And Suas Imagery In Vineyards, Ayman Nassar, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, William Kustas, Hector Nieto, Mac Mckee, Lawrence E. Hipps, David King Stevens, Joseph Alfieri, John Prueger, Maria Mar Alsina, Lynn Mckee, Calvin Coopmans, Luis Sanchez, Nick Dokoozlian

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key variable for hydrology and irrigation water management,with significant importance in drought-stricken regions of the western US. This is particularly true for California, which grows much of the high-value perennial crops in the US. The advent of small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) with sensor technology similar to satellite platforms allows for the estimation of high-resolution ET at plant spacing scale for individual fields. However, while multiple efforts have been made to estimate ET from sUAS products, the sensitivity of ET models to different model grid size/resolution in complex canopies, such as vineyards, is still unknown.The variability …

Example Take-Home Final Exam Questions From Cee 433: Water Technology & Policy At The University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Ashlynn Stillwell

All ECSTATIC Materials

The following example questions were part of take-home final exams spanning 2014-2020 in CEE 433: Water Technology & Policy, taught by Dr. Ashlynn S. Stillwell at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These questions were part of the take-home final exam, with additional questions not reported here.

Would You Rather Teleport Or Spend Some Time Commuting? Investigating Individuals’ Teleportation Preferences, Prasanna Humagain, Patrick A. Singleton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

• Teleportation test, a survey instrument developed to measure Positive Utility of travel (PUT)

"If you could snap your fingers or blink your eyes and instantaneously teleport yourself to the desired destination, would you do so"

• "Yes"- Regarding travel as disutility i.e. means to reach destination
• "No"- Find benefits during travel or traveling itself

The Redesign And Rebuild Of The S.R. 81 Bridge, Benjamin Ashley, David Ward, Ethan Durocher, Jacob Wilding

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• The bridge crossing is on S.R. 81 which spans the Bear River

• The bridge was built initially in 1859

• The bridge was condemned in the 1990’s and in the early 2000’s was washed out

• The redesign will meet needs of community with the ability to have farm equipment cross safely

• Built to withstand the 100-year flood

• Project will address and alleviate concerns brought up from original bridge washout

Student Steel Bridge Competition, Usu Department Of Civil And Environmental Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A recreational trail, located in Katy Trail State Park, Missouri, experienced wash out due to historic floods during the spring and summer of 2019. The wash out has become a new water way that needs to be crossed by a trail for walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and equestrians. A steel bridge has been chosen by the local government to solve this problem due to its versatility, ease of prefabrication, ability for rapid erection, superior strength to weight ratio, durability, and high level of recycled content.

The local government has set basic parameters for the design of this steel bridge. These parameters …

Highway 89/91 Wildlife Crossing, Camden Gillins, Eduardo Hueramo, Ethan Schow, Carson Winger

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Highway 89/91 is a major arterial connecting Brigham City to Cache Valley through Wellsville Canyon. There are several existing underpass wildlife crossings along the route that are infrequently used by deer and other large wildlife. The Utah Division of Wildlife wishes to improve wildlife crossings in the area because the underpass crossings have some of the lowest usage rates in Utah. Due to the abundance of wildlife in Wellsville Canyon, the stretch of Highway 89/91 experiences frequent wildlife-vehicle collisions.

CE Squared Engineering presented four possible alternatives for a wildlife crossing near mile marker 8 in Wellsville Canyon. Each alternative was …

Pedestrian Bridge: Jbs Meat Processing Facility Hyrum, Ut, Daniel Cox, Wyatt Lantz, Jake Leatham, Jake Makin, Michael Rasmussen

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The JBS meat processing facility in Hyrum, UT, requested an engineering assessment and design for a safe pedestrian route from JBS’s west employee parking lot to the inside of the JBS facility. JBS employs over 1000 people many of whom park their vehicles in the company’s west employee parking lot. JBS employees currently must cross 1200 west from the west parking lot via a crosswalk with faded paint and frequent traffic traveling at speeds of 40-45 mph. The purpose of this project is to create a safer and more convenient entrance into JBS’s facility from the company’s west employee parking …

Great Western Rv Park, Jairus Anderson, Clark Brown, Brennan Rees, Ty Rees

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Royal Developments LLC has requested the development of a parcel in a rural community in Wayne County. The proposed property is located between Bicknell and Torrey alongside Highway 24. The economic growth requires a need for more capacity of overnight stay. Within the rural area, it is home to diverse scenery that attracts millions of visitors every year around the world. Royal Developments plans to develop an RV park and cabins with JCR Engineering in the Bicknell area for visitors to stay.

North Davis Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Plant Additions, Amy Carmellini, Jessica Cooper, Kailey Jorgensen, Madeline Tennant, Nikki Vause, Travis Whitfield

Civil and Environmental Engineering

North Davis Sewer District (NDSD) wastewater treatment plant must alter their treatment process to reduce total phosphorus (TP) and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) in their effluent. NDSD treats ~19 MGD using biotowers and trickling filters then discharges final effluent to Farmington Bay (FB) of the Great Salt Lake (GSL) (Figure 1).

Alterations to NDSD’s treatment process must meet lower TIN and TP standards by year 2020 while planning for population increases through year 2050. Relocation of NDSD’s outfall from FB to Gilbert Bay (GB) would allow NDSD to meet less stringent standards.

NDSD plant operators prioritize reliability (40%), cost (30%), …

Fish Lake Recreation Area And Fishing Pier, Jesse Mott, Collin Pace, Matthew Crump, Matthew Day, Elliot Naulu

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Fish Lake, located in Fishlake National Forest, has restricted access to shoreline fishing opportunities because of an invasive weed called Eurasian Milfoil. The National Forest Service plans to address this issue by providing fishing opportunities to visitors beyond the weed line, which requires access 100 feet out from the shoreline.

In addition to providing improved fishing access, the Forest Service wants to develop the site with a parking lot, sidewalk, and restroom. The parking lot needs to accommodate at least 26 vehicles and fit in the narrow strip of land between the existing highway and Fish Lake.

San Rafael Swell Recreational Vehicle Campground Design, Emily Fica, Aaron Olney, Tyler Kendall, Paola Muñoz, Devin Shelley

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hired Starry Night Engineering to design a campground North of exit 131 on I-70. The site is located near the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area and is open for public use. BLM is concerned about insufficient traffic regulations and harm to vegetation and other natural resources due to the recent surge of recreational use in the San Rafael Swell area. RVs and off-road vehicles are the predominate source in the area.

Figure 1 shows landscape destruction at the site due to insufficient roads and lack of traffic regulations. BLM asked Starry Night Engineering to …

Dry Canyon Well In Smithfield City, Utah, Colby Bench, Zachary Benson, Tyler Daniels, Steven Fuhr, Timothy Price, Sammie Stubbs

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The purpose of the Dry Canyon Well project is to provide an additional water supply to Smithfield City. Smithfield City anticipates a 100% increase in population over the next 40 years. To accommodate the future demand, Smithfield City hired T&S Engineers to design a well. T&S Engineers designed the chlorination system, pump house, pipeline to a nearby storage tank, and gravel road to access the well.

Garley Canyon Recreation Area, Kathryn Margetts, Kyler Olsen, Mariah Rasmussen, Caitlin Roundy, Matthew Solomon, C. Jack Tousley

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Carbon County, UT has commissioned Jones & DeMille Engineering (JDE) to design and construct a reservoir at the mouth of Garley Canyon. To attract people from around Utah to visit Garley Reservoir, JDE has partnered with Trail Blazing Development Engineering (TBD) to design an outdoor recreation area. To accommodate diversity, plans for the recreational area included a road connecting a day-use area, a traditional campground, and an RV campground. Amenities considered included access to clean drinking water, pavilions in the day-use area, and restroom facilities. TBD Engineering analyzed alternative options and designed the recreational area with the best combination of …

Box Elder Creek Trail And Bridge Design, Turky Al-Osaimi, Braiden Amata, Spencer Nielson, Michael Ruiz-Leon, Devon Vigil

Civil and Environmental Engineering

There is a light footpath that begins at Mayors pond in Brigham City and follows the Box Elder Creek north to the surrounding neighborhoods. The path is marked with faded pink utility ribbons. The footpath crosses through difficult terrain and twice through a dry creek bed. There is not a stable creek crossing. Residents seeking to use the current path are potentially exposing themselves to difficult crossings and unstable terrain.

The Brigham City Trails Task Force desires to construct a pedestrian trail for the community to safely recreate. The trail will connect residential areas to Mayors Pond. The proposed trail …

Viking Engineering Design Of Norse Code For The Usu Concrete Canoe Club, Paul Consalvo, Morgan Stewart, Josephine Bennion, Lihan Zhu, Hunter Payne

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This project provides the USU Concrete Canoe (USUCC) team a design for a concrete canoe to submit to the ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC). The competition requires a design provided through a technical proposal and prototype. Viking Engineering (ViE) provides canoe design, concrete mix design, technical assistance for the competition’s proposal, and prototype construction, which includes demolding. Viking Engineering proposes a Viking- themed, Shallow-Vee hull canoe design with a prototype titled Norse Code for submission.

Hobbit Caves Access Bridge: Logan, Ut, Bailey Mabey, Katrina Mccoll, Hayley Sharkey, Spencer Tanner, Allison Valencia

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The National Forest Service proposed the reconstruction of a pedestrian bridge leading to the Logan Canyon Hobbit Caves. At the proposed location the previous bridge foundation failed leading to unsafe conditions.

Currently visitors must cross the creek on foot to access the Hobbit Caves. This disrupts the local habitat. This also creates a hazard for the public due to high variance in flow rate and water level of the creek. A new location was selected and the design criteria was created based upon this new location.

Recycling Warehouse, Hunter Carter, John Jacobsen, Brady Layton, Ariel Silva, Wyatt Wray

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Valley Recycling is a recycling company located in Cache Valley. One of the main things they recycle is scrap metal that is sorted out into ferrous and nonferrous metals. The current focus is on the building that the nonferrous metals are sorted, cleaned, and processed in. The current building where this work is done does not meet the needs for the required work.

Assessment Of Groundwater Resources In Siwa Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt, Noha H. Moghazy, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the major challenges facing Egypt is limited water resources associated with rapid increase in population. In 1960s, Egyptian government started to use groundwater from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) in the Western Desert to expand agricultural sector. Siwa Oasis is the focus of this study to assess the efficiency of groundwater use and corresponding impacts from 1980 to 2012. Results show that from 1980 to 1998, withdrawal from poorly designed wells increased rapidly causing an increase in excess water about 336%. The increase of excess water with the usage of poor drainage produced lakes. Remote Sensing showed …

Wintertime Spatial Distribution Of Ammonia And Its Emission Sources In The Great Salt Lake Region, Alexander Moravek, Jennifer G. Murphy, Amy Hrdina, John C. Lin, Christopher Pennell, Alessandro Franchin, Ann M. Middlebrook, Dorothy L. Fibiger, Caroline C. Womack, Erin E. Mcduffie, Randy S. Martin, Kori D. Moore, Munkhbayar Baasandorj, Steven S. Brown

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Ammonium-containing aerosols are a major component of wintertime air pollution in many densely populated regions around the world. Especially in mountain basins, the formation of persistent cold-air pools (PCAPs) can enhance particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) to levels above air quality standards. Under these conditions, PM_2.5 in the Great Salt Lake region of northern Utah has been shown to be primarily composed of ammonium nitrate; however, its formation processes and sources of its precursors are not fully understood. Hence, it is key to understanding the emission sources of its gas phase precursor, ammonia …

Incorporation Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Point Cloud Products Into Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration Models, Mahyar Aboutalebi, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Mac Mckee, William P. Kustas, Héctor Nieto, Maria Mar Alsina, Alex White, John H. Prueger, Lynn Mckee, Joseph Alfieri, Lawrence E. Hipps, Calvin Coopmans, Nick Dokoozlian

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, the deployment of satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has led to production of enormous amounts of data and to novel data processing and analysis techniques for monitoring crop conditions. One overlooked data source amid these efforts, however, is incorporation of 3D information derived from multi-spectral imagery and photogrammetry algorithms into crop monitoring algorithms. Few studies and algorithms have taken advantage of 3D UAV information in monitoring and assessment of plant conditions. In this study, different aspects of UAV point cloud information for enhancing remote sensing evapotranspiration (ET) models, particularly the Two-Source Energy Balance Model (TSEB), over …