Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Water Resource Systems Analysis - University Of Kentucky, Lexington, Lindell Ormsbee

All ECSTATIC Materials

Graduate course in water resource systems analysis offered at University of Kentucky, Lexington in Fall 2015.

Engineering Optimization: Methods/Applications - Colorado State University, John Labadie

All ECSTATIC Materials

This course provides a comprehensive treatment of methods of optimization with focus on linear programming and its extensions, network flow optimization, integer programming, quadratic programming, and an introduction to nonlinear programming. The goal is to maintain a balance between theory, numerical computation, problem setup for solution by computer algorithms, and engineering applications. Course taught at Colorado State University.

Water Resources Systems Analysis - University Of Texas San Antonio, Marcio Giacomoni

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Systems Analysis methods use algorithmic and mathematical approaches for problem-solving. These are powerful methods that can be applied to solve complex design and management problems for water resources systems and other engineering areas. This class will focus on optimization methods, such as linear programming, integer programming, nonlinear programming, genetic algorithms, and dynamic programming, and their application to water resources systems. Advanced Systems Analysis methods, including sensitivity analysis, alternatives generation, and multi-objective optimization will be introduced to address the complexities associated with public sector decision-making. Course taught at University of Texas San Antonio.

Environmental Systems Analysis - Hong Kong University Of Science And Technology, Hong Kong, Ng Tze Ling

All ECSTATIC Materials

Undergraduate course in environmental systems analysis offered at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong in Fall 2015.

Little Bear And Blacksmith Fork Rivers Environmental Flows: Background Report, Bio-West, Inc.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This report describes existing information and first steps related to developing environmental flow recommendations for the Little Bear and Blacksmith Fork Rivers in Cache County, Utah. This project was undertaken by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in partnership with Trout Unlimited (TU), Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), Cache County, and Utah State University (USU). Both rivers have been identified as conservation priorities, primarily for Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT) and their riparian and aquatic systems.

Modifying The Adm1 Model To Predict The Operation Of An Anaerobic Digester Co-Digesting Municipal Sludge With Bakery Waste, Morris E. Demitry, Jianming Zhong, Conly Hansen, Michael Mcfarland

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Anaerobic Digestion Model Number1 (ADM1) was modified in order to predict accurately the impact of co-digesting bakery waste (BW) with municipal sludge (MS). BW is an industrial waste (300,000 gallons per day in USA) that contains a high concentration of organic matter (carbohydrates, low lipids and non-detected proteins). BW is an easily biodegradable substrate for creating a favorable microorganism growth environment, which enhances the biogas production needed for wastewater facilities. The modified ADM1 successfully predicted changes in pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA), propionic acid and methane gas production. The ADM1 outputs were compared to experimental batch reactor results of actual …

Practitioner Interview, Richard Males

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Phone interview with Richard Males from RMM Technical Services, Inc. by Meghna Babbar-Sebens and Marcio Giacomoni. Interview questions asked inquired about (i) practitioner’s professional background, (ii) practitioner’s personal experience with systems analysis techniques and software in their job, (iii) role, benefits, and challenges in using systems analysis concepts in the water resources engineering profession, and (iv) recommendations for improving education of environmental and water resources systems analysis in universities.

Practitioner Interview, Walter Grayman

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Phone interview with Walter Grayman from Walter Grayman Cons. by Meghna Babbar-Sebens and Marcio Giacomoni. Interview questions asked inquired about (i) practitioner’s professional background, (ii) practitioner’s personal experience with systems analysis techniques and software in their job, (iii) role, benefits, and challenges in using systems analysis concepts in the water resources engineering profession, and (iv) recommendations for improving education of environmental and water resources systems analysis in universities.

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 …

Interdisciplinary Modeling For Water-Related Issues Graduate Course, Laurel Saito, Alexander Fernald, Timothy Link

All ECSTATIC Materials

The science and management of aquatic ecosystems is inherently interdisciplinary, with issues associated with hydrology, atmospheric science, water quality, geochemistry, sociology, economics, environmental science, and ecology. Addressing water resources issues in any one discipline invariably involves effects that concern other disciplines, and attempts to address one issue often have consequences that exacerbate existing issues or concerns, or create new ones (Jørgensen et al. 1992; Lackey et al. 1975; Straskraba 1994) due to the strongly interactive nature of key processes (Christensen et al. 1996). Thus, research and management of aquatic ecosystems must be interdisciplinary to be most effective, but such truly …

Development Of A Decision-Making Methodology To Design A Water Quality Monitoring Network, J. Keum, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The number of water quality monitoring stations in the USA has decreased over the past few decades. Scarcity of observations can easily produce prediction uncertainty due to unreliable model calibration. An effective water quality monitoring network is important not only for model calibration and water quality prediction but also for resources management. Redundant or improperly located monitoring stations may cause increased monitoring costs without improvement to the understanding of water quality in watersheds. In this work, a decision-making methodology is proposed to design a water quality monitoring network by providing an adequate number of monitoring stations and their approximate locations …

Effects Of Pipe Wall Offsets On Differential Pressure Meter Accuracy, Jesse M. Pope, Steven L. Barfuss, Michael C. Johnson, Zachary B. Sharp

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Accurate flow measurement is essential for the management of any type of fluid system. This research investigated the effect on accuracy that five types of 12-in. differential-pressure flow meters have as a result of being installed in pipelines of differing inside diameter. The types of meters chosen for this research were the classical Venturi meter, Halmi Venturi Tube, wedge meter, V-cone meter, and the X-meter. Each meter was tested for accuracy with 10 pipe wall offsets varying from a 0.125-in. sudden contraction to a 0.937-in. sudden expansion of the pipe radius. The meters' reading during each test series was compared …

A Virtual Tile Approach To Rastel-Based Calculations Of Large Digital Elevation Models In A Shared-Memory System, Ahmet Artu Yildirim, Daniel W. Watson, David G. Tarboton, Robert M. Wallace

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Grid digital elevation models (DEMs) are commonly used in hydrology to derive information related to topographically driven flow. Advances in technology for creating DEMs have increased their resolution and data size with the result that algorithms for processing them are frequently memory limited. This paper presents a new approach to the management of memory in the parallel solution of hydrologic terrain processing using a user-level virtual memory system for shared-memory multithreaded systems. The method includes tailored virtual memory management of raster-based calculations for datasets that are larger than available memory and a novel order-of-calculations approach to parallel hydrologic terrain analysis …

Practitioner Interview, David Ford, Chris Dunn, Leon Basdekas

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Phone interview with David Ford from Ford Consulting Engineers; Chris Dunn from US Army Corps of Engineers, Hydrologic Engineering Center; and Leon Basdekas from Colorado Spring Water Utility by David Rosenberg and David Watkins, Jr. Interview questions asked inquired about (i) practitioner’s professional background, (ii) practitioner’s personal experience with systems analysis techniques and software in their job, (iii) role, benefits, and challenges in using systems analysis concepts in the water resources engineering profession, and (iv) recommendations for improving education of environmental and water resources systems analysis in universities.

Practitioner Interview, Guillermo Martinez Baquero

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Phone interview with Guillermo Martinez Baquero from Interra by David Watkins, Jr. Interview questions asked inquired about (i) practitioner’s professional background, (ii) practitioner’s personal experience with systems analysis techniques and software in their job, (iii) role, benefits, and challenges in using systems analysis concepts in the water resources engineering profession, and (iv) recommendations for improving education of environmental and water resources systems analysis in universities.

Practitioner Interview, Abhishek Singh

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Phone interview with Abhishek Singh from Interra by David Watkins, Jr. Interview questions asked inquired about (i) practitioner’s professional background, (ii) practitioner’s personal experience with systems analysis techniques and software in their job, (iii) role, benefits, and challenges in using systems analysis concepts in the water resources engineering profession, and (iv) recommendations for improving education of environmental and water resources systems analysis in universities.

Biostimulation And Bioaugmentation To Enhance Reductive Dechlorination Of Tce In A Long-Term Flow Through Column Study, Joan E. Mclean, Jared Ervin, Jing Zhou, Darwin L. Sorensen, Ryan Dupont

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Large laboratory columns (15.2 cm diameter, 183 cm long) were fed with groundwater containing trichloroethylene (TCE), were biostimulated and bioaugmented, and were monitored for over 7.5 years. The objective of the study was to observe how the selection of the carbon and energy source, i.e., whey, Newman Zone® standard surfactant emulsified oil and Newman Zone nonionic surfactant emulsified oil, affected the rate and extent of dechlorination. Column effluent was monitored for TCE and its degradation products, redox indicators (nitrate-N, Fe(II), sulfate), and changes in iron mineralogy. Total bacteria and Dehalococcoides mccartyi strains were quantified using q-PCR. Complete dechlorination was only …

Development Of Awwa Recommendations For Ccl4 Prioritization And Process, Ryan Worth Bench

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

Every 5 years the USEPA is responsible to publish a list of unregulated contaminants that are known or expected to occur in public water systems in the United States that may pose a risk on public health. This list is known as a contaminant candidate list (CCL). This year it is expected that the USEPA is to publish the 4th such list of the CCL or CCL4. Candidacy to be on the CCL4 is based on a compound’s occurrence in the environment, public health toxicity and recommendation from expert opinion. Methods to qualitatively determine occurrence and toxicity for compounds were …

The Fate Of Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Conventional And Engineered On-Site Wastewater Drain Fields, James Beardall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah State University Division of Environmental Engineering student, under the direction of Ms. Judith L. Sims, has investigated the fate of six pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in conventional and engineered on-site wastewater drain fields. The presence of PPCPs in the environment, especially in aquatic environments, has raised awareness to the effects of PPCPs on aquatic life and the fate of these PPCPs, and has caused regulators to become more involved in setting requirements for the removal of PPCPs from wastewater.

This research investigated the fate of caffeine, acetaminophen, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, progesterone, and fluoxetine in laboratory scaled columns that …

Right Hand Fork Pedestrian Bridge Final Report, Ren Gibbons

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Right Hand Fork is a tributary canyon whose stream enters the Logan River nine miles east of the mouth of Logan Canyon near Logan, Utah. The access bridge to a popular recreational area, the Hobbit Caves, was damaged in 2011 by flooding. We propose that a new bridge be designed and constructed for the Forest Service to replace the current structure to ensure public safety and minimize environmental impact. We plan to use a longer bridge span that will situate the abutments higher on the stream bank and reduce possible water damage during flood events. Bridge costs will be minimized …

Innovative And Efficient Simulation-Optimization Tools For Successful Groundwater Management And Conflict Resolution, Bassel Timani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Simulation-Optimization (S-O) models are exemplary for strategic groundwater management planning. The two components of an S-O model serve different purposes. The simulation component models the aquifer and computes state variables resulting from stimuli such as extraction or diversion while the optimizor computes an optimal set of stimuli that maximize an objective function and satisfy a set of constraints. With the increased use of S-O model for larger and more complex real-world study areas, the use of fast and efficient S-O models has risen. Response matrix methods (RMMs) are usually used as substitute simulators within an S-O to solve the posed …

Transportation Economics And Energy, Ali Soltani Sobh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Transportation is one of the major energy consuming sectors in the United States. The continued growth in fuel consumption not only increases dependency on foreign oil but also causes environmental issues due to the emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG). High gasoline consumption in the US transportation sector not only raises concerns regarding national energy security, but also poses many questions regarding the resulting environmental impacts of greenhouse gases emissions. Improvement in automobile fuel economy, increase the use of natural gas vehicles and electric vehicles have been proven to be as the policies in controlling oil demand and GHG emissions in …

Laboratory Study On The Effects Of Exit Face Inclination Of Critical Gradients, Richard Allen Keizer Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this research is to help better understand the effects of exit face inclinations on critical gradients. This will lead to more practical ways to predict critical hydraulic gradients and slope stability using soil properties and exit face conditions. Current geotechnical engineering does not consider these factors because they are not thoroughly understood. Despite the attempts to better predict critical gradients, methods developed over 70 years ago to model the heave mechanism are used to model failure mechanisms such as backward erosion (or piping). This critical hydraulic gradient is only calculated by means of the buoyant unit weight …

High Resolution Multi-Spectral Imagery And Learning Machines In Precision Irrigation Water Management, Leila Hassan-Esfahani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goals of preserving scarce water resources, cultivating more lands, and saving on irrigation water bills have directed the attention of water resources managers toward the concepts of precision agriculture and, in particular, to precision irrigation. The purpose of precision irrigation is to increase irrigation efficiency to avoid crop water stress, avoid yield reduction due to under-irrigation and leaching of nutrients, runoff, and reduce soil erosion due to over-irrigation. In this study, irrigation efficiency has been defined in terms of irrigation uniformity and the response of the crop to irrigation. Crop water demand, soil moisture, evapotranspiration rate, and potential water …

Testing Of Rainflow Histograms Of Strain For Implementation As A Bridge Weigh-In-Motion Technique, Nephi R. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The highways and bridges that make up the nation’s infrastructure are becoming older and need replacement or maintenance. In order to determine the best use of funds, bridges are being monitored and studied. This paper was part of a long term study with the goal of monitoring multiple bridges for several years in order to develop an extensive network of bridge information. This particular study was on a bridge in Utah that was instrumented with permanent measurement and monitoring devices. Monitoring of bridges provides information on how the temperature and weather cause the bridge to move, change and age. It …

Systems Optimization Models To Improve Water Management And Environmental Decision Making, Omar Alminagorta Cabezas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The degradation of water quality and wetlands is one of the most challenging environmental problems around the world. In spite of the magnitude of these environmental problems, few efforts identify how scarce resources (e.g., water, budget) can be more efficiently used to solve these problems. This dissertation presents a set of tools to help solve environmental problems related to excess phosphorus levels in water bodies and wetland degradation caused by water shortages and invasive vegetation. These tools are presented in three studies. The first study presents a simple optimization model that identifies the cost-effective combination of management practices to reduce …

Arsenic Release From Dechlorination Remediation Processes Of Biostimulation And Bioaugmentation, Suzy Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Arsenic (As), a known carcinogen, is a groundwater contaminant in many parts of the world. Arsenic contamination is enhanced through carbon addition, such as biostimulation, a remediation process, which has been used to remove trichloroethylene (TCE) from sediment and groundwater. Two studies were designed to evaluate the effect of different carbon sources on the removal of TCE through dechlorination and on As solubilization and mobilization in response to carbon addition.

The first set of columns (15.2 cm diameter, 183 cm long) used whey, Newman Zone® standard surfactant emulsified oil, Newman Zone® nonionic surfactant emulsified oil, and no carbon controls as …

Continuous Unbonded Post-Tensioned Members: Quantifying Strand Stress Increase, Philip D. Six

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Unbonded post-tensioning tendons are an efficient and cost effective method of reinforcing concrete floor slabs, slabs-on-grade, parking garages, and bridge structures. However, the behavior of these structures is not well understood. There is concern that due to the lack of a significant amount of reliable research data on specimens reinforced in this manner, the commonly used design methods tend to significantly under-predict the strength. Four large, scaled, floor slab sections were constructed and destructively tested with the intent of more accurately understanding the strength of specimens reinforced with this method. Four test specimens represent a significant percentage of the current …

Catalytic Pyrolysis Of Olive Mill Wastewater Sludge, Hamza Abdellaoui

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

From 2008 to 2013, an average of 2,821.4 kilotons/year of olive oil were produced around the world. The waste product of the olive mill industry consists of solid residue (pomace) and wastewater (OMW). Annually, around 30 million m³ of OMW are produced in the Mediterranean area, 700,000 m³ year⁻¹ in Tunisia alone. OMW is an aqueous effluent characterized by an offensive smell and high organic matter content, including high molecular weight phenolic compounds and long-chain fatty acids. These compounds are highly toxic to micro-organisms and plants, which makes the OMW a serious threat to the environment if …

The Effect Of Deposition From Static Rocket Tests On Immature Corn, Alfalfa, And Winter Wheat, Eric Curry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

ATK tests the performance of large solid rocket motors (SRMs) at their facility located in Promontory Point, Utah, USA. During these tests, an estimated 1.5 million kg (~3.3 million lbs.) of entrained soil and rocket exhaust are sent skyward in a cloud that can travel as far as 10-12 miles from the test site. As the cloud cools deposition known as Test Fire Soil (TFS) can settle on local crops. Farmers in the area have voiced concerns about the effects of TFS on their crops.

To address the concerns, I looked at the effect of a typical TFS deposition loading …