Water Resource Management Commons^™

Impacts Of Western Coal, Oil Shale, And Tar Sands Development On Aquatic Environmental Quality: A Technical Information Matrix; Volume 1 Introduction And Instructions, Jay J. Messer, Charles I. Liff, Kurt Gernerd, Frederick J. Post

Reports

Introduction: The Upper Colorado River Basin contains vast deposits of coal, oil shale, and tar sands, which could undergo extensive development should oil prices rise or an international situation restrict oil imports. Naturally, the prospect of development of these alternative fossil fuels resources has led to concern over how extraction and conversion activities will impact environmental quality. A thorough understanding of the nature and magnitude of the resulting envionemental impacts is a necessary prerequisite, if the costs and risks of such activites are to be weighed against the economic benefits. When we set out to evaluated these costs and risks, …

A Multivariate Water Quality Index For Use In Management Of A Wildland Watershed, Ramzi Mahmood, Jay J. Messer, Frank J. Nemanich, Charles I. Liff, Dennis B. George

Reports

Executive Summary: Summary: Multivariate statistical techniques were used to define a method for establishing a water quality index (WQI) for use in protecting the stream environment in a high mountain watershed. The purpose of the WQI was to aggregate water quality parameters in such a way that the effects of low level increments in mining, grazing, logging and other activities could be related to a change in the value of a single entity, aquatic environmental aquality, in a linear programming (LP) management model. Several data aggregation methods were explored, using water quality data collected over 5 years (1975-1979) by the …

A Chance-Constrained Programming Model Of Water Allocations In Utah, John E. Keith, Gustavo A. Martinez Gerstl, Rangesan Narayanan, Donald L. Snyder

Reports

A chance-constrained separable programming model of water allocations between agriculture and energy production was developed in order to examine the effect of the variability of water supplies in Utah. Using an incomplete gamma function, based on method of moments estimation of parameters, the water flows at 85, 90, and 95 percent probabilities of occurence were generated. These flows were then used as constraints in the allocation model. Results indicate that water quality could be a more significant constraint on irrigated agriculture than water quantity in the face of large scale energy development, and the variability of water availability alone is …

The Water Requirements And Pollutant Potential In The Gasification Of Carbonaceous Shales, Jeffery A. Cissell, V. Dean Adams, Joel E. Fletcher, Daniel S. Filip, Dennis B. George

Reports

A laboratory-scale, batch operated gasifier was used to evaluate the heating value, process and cooling water requirements, and water pollution potential of gasification of carbonaceous shales. These potentially valuable fossil fuels are found over large areas of Southern and Eastern Utah and vary widely in quality depending on the amount of intermixed inorganic material. The results indicate that a synthesis gas, consisting primarily of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, can be produced from carbonaceous shales. The total heating values of the synthesis gas from the carbon shales examined ranged from 4 to 62 percent of that of coal. The process water …

Hydrologic Series Generation From The Spectral Density Function, Ronand V. Canfield

Reports

Computer simulation of hydrologic processes has become an effective analytical tool for analysis of complicated water resource systems. Present methods of generating sequences place practical limits on the ability of the methods to preserve an observed autocorrelation structure. This report explores the use of spectral characteristics in the generation of time series. Because of the correspondence between the spectral density function and the autocorrelation function of a time series, the spectrum can be used to fit any of the empirical autocorrelation structures observed in hydrologic sequences. The problem of maintaining an observed correlation structure in a generated sequence is reduced …

Salt Loading From Efflorescence And Suspended Sediments In The Price River Basin, David S. Bowles, Hooshang Nezafati, Rao K. Bhasker, J. Paul Riley, R. J. Wagenet

Reports

Salinity control is a major component of water management in arid climates and irrigated areas and one of particular concern in the Colorado River Basin. The alts enter the water as it flows over land or moves through the soil or geologic formations. The principal salt collection processes are 1) dissolution from the soil surface during runoff events, 2) transpiration of soil water leaving salt residuals, 3) efflorescence left by evaporating seepage and then dissolved by subsequent runoff, 4) dissolution with weathering of fixed bed channels, 5) salts released by sediments entering the channel from sheet, gulley, and bank erosion, …

Development Of Contingency Plans And Scientific Background Studies For Applying Weather Modification During Drought Periods In Utah, David S. Bowles, Marjorie Frantz, Terry Glover, E. Arlo Richardson, Joe L. Sutherland

Reports

A multi-disciplinary study of drought in utah was conducted as a part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Southwest Drought Research Program. The study was administered by the Utah Division of Water Resources. Utah drought was investigated from a variety of viewpoints, including drought climatology, drought meteorology, hydrologic effects of drought, and economic effects of drought. A stand-by wintertime cloud seeding program was designed for all sections of the state. An economics model was then used to determine benfits to the state as a result of the seeding program.

Energy Impacts Of Water Based Recreation, J. Clair Batty, David A. Bell, E. Bruce Godfrey, Craig Howell, J. Paul Riley, Thomas C. Stoddard

Reports

The overall objective of the study reported here was to determine to what extent energy accounting could supplement and/or complement economic benfit/cost analyses of water management projects and to specifically examine the energy impacts of water based recreation. The energy accounting literature was carefully reviewed and an energy accounting methodology applicable to water management was devised. Data pertaining to receation at five reservoirs in Utah were assembled from visitation recoreds and on-site surveys. Energy requirements for site construction, travel to and from the recreation site, and recreation at the site were estimated. It was determined that energy devoted to water …

Predicted Limnology Of The Proposed Ridges Basin Reservoir, Lawrence A. Baker, V. Dean Adams

Reports

A limnological evaluation was conducted for the offstream Ridges Basin Reservoir proposed by the Bureau of Reclamation in southwest Colorado. The study required the determination of existing water quality in the source river and use of the information to predict the algal standing crop, hypolimnetic oxygen deficity, Secchi disk transparency, and retention of metals in the proposed reservoir. A water quality study was conducted between May 1977 and August 1978. Samplse were collected from the Animas River, which will provide the inflow to the proposed reservoir, and from the La Plata River, which will receive discharge from the reservoir. Samples …

Sprinkler Application Of So2 - Treated Groundwater At The Sandarosa Farm, Snowville, Utah, V. Dean Adams, Craig S. Criddle

Reports

Sulfur is recognized as one of the essential elements for plant growth. It has also been used in agriculture for reclamation of saline and sodic soils. During the reclamation process there is the potential benefit of increased availability of phosphorus and certain micro-nutrients for plant uptake. There is also potential for increased infiltration thus increasing water utilization efficiency.

Sulfur has been applied to soils in a flake or nodule form, by the addition of sulfuric acid and most recently by the application of sulfurous acid. The raw sulfur addition technique is accomplished by spreading raw sulfur on the soil and …

Removal Of Nitrogen From Secondary Wastewater Effluent Through No 3-N Reduction Using Sulfur Dioxide (So2), Javid Ghorashian, V. Dean Adams, Dennis B. George

Reports

The overall purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of sulfur dioxide (SO2) to remove nitrate-nigrogen (i.e., reduction to a gaseous form) from the secondary wastewater effluent. To accomplish th above task, a jar test procedure was established and the concentration of NO3-N along with the concentration of NH3-N present in the secondary wastewater, treated with SO2, were measured initially and after 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, and 24 hr. Then, the percent NO3-N removal was calculated, comparing the NO3-H concentrations measured in each treatment with the initial values. The above procedures were conducted for …

Guidelines For Minimizing Salinity Buildup In Groundwaters Of Utah, Edward P. Fisk, Calvin G. Clyde

Reports

In arid Utah practically all of the replenishable surface water supplies are nearly fully developed. At least some groundwater resources are being used in every basin. Groundwater use is expanding throughout the state and in some areas the draft is nearly equal to the sustained yield. Irrigated agriculture is the major water user. Multiple reuse of water is common in many areas, but as salinity increases with each cycle of usage, salinity also is usually the limiting factor for usefulness. Effective control of salinity buildup will permit more efficient and more extensive use of the state’s waters with potentially large …

Reverse Osmosis In The Treatment Of Drinking Water, R. Ryan Dupont, Talbert N. Eisenberg, E. Joe Middlebrooks

Reports

An extensive review of the literature was conducted and results were evaluated for the use of the reverse osmosis process in the treatment of drinking water supplies. All aspects of reverse osmosis technology, including pretreatment requirements; membrane type and configuration; membrane cleaning and maintenance; and reverse osmosis removal of organics, inorganics, and microbial contaminants were incorporated inot the literature evaluation. A survey (Appendix E) of existing full scale reverse osmosis installations was also carried out and results of the survey are discussed. In light of data presented in the literature and results of the survey conducted, the following recommendations were …

Evaluation Of Microcosms For Determining The Fate And Effect Of Benz(A)Anthracene In Aquatic Systems, Judith G. Dickson, V. Dean Adams, Dennis B. George

Reports

Small scale, three-phase microcosms were used to study the aquatic fate and effect of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benz(a)anthracene. This compound was chosen as a model for carcinogenic PAH because it is a typical constituent of petro-chemical effluents and has middle-of-the-range physical and chamical characteristics. In a series of experiments, techniques were established for monitoring the behavior and for assessing the biological response to the pollutant. Results indicate taht benz(a)anthracene has no acute effect on aquatic organisms as indicated by the parameters used to measure community structure and function (gas productivity, nutrient utilization, biomass accumulation, and species composition). Gas …

Hydraulics And Numerical Solutions Of Steady-State But Spatially Varied Debris Flow, Alfredo A. Deleon, Roland W. Jeppson

Reports

Debris flow is a natural phenomenon triggered by special conditions that combine: high intensity rainfall, material available for transport, slopes steep enough to induce flowage, and insufficient protection of the ground by vegetation and/or other erosion control means. These conditions are very common in semiarid and arid regions in Utah, other Western states and many other parts of the globe. Previously, the two models proposed to solve debris flow are the Bingham plastic model and the dilatants model. Both these models depend upon coefficients that are not easy to obtain. Therefore, they are not very useful in practice. According to …

Characterization Of La Verkin Springs Water And Methods For Its Reuse In Energy Development, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Water

Analytical water data obtained from a 9-month test program at the LVS (LaVerkin Springs) site, which is located in Washington County, Southwestern Utah, were evaluated. Fresh water and the water after processing through various pretreatment steps and after ED (electrodialysis) desalting and by desalting processes was demonstrated by the LVS site test program. The relative merit of different methods of treatment, disposal, and reuse of LVS water were studied. The objectives of the study were to evaluate methods for preventing high salinity LVS water from entering the Virgin River and for utilizing the processed water in energy development. The disposal …

A Laboratory Evaluation Of Leachate From The Jim Bridger Power Plant Scrubber Wastes, V. Dean Adams, Mary E. Pitts, Megan J. Dyer

Reports

Introduction: Scrubber wastes obtained in an affort to limit air pollution generated by coal-fired pwoer plants may contribute to another possible sources of pollution. To date, scrubber wastse have been in a liquid phase which causes disposal problems partially due to the liquid characteristics. The use of solid scrubber wastes and the land deposition of such wastes is proposed. The feasibility of solid scrubber wastes disposal in landfills is under question. The primary area of concern is the effect that water percolation through such wastes would have on groundwater quality parameters. Contamination could result either as precipitation travels downward through …

Energy Siting In Utah: A Programming Model, Donald L. Snyder, John E. Keith, Terrence F. Glover, Gene L. Wooldridge

Reports

Using a conceptual model of a multiple-product firm, the necessary conditions for an optimal input and output allocation were determined for a region constrained by resource availabilities and/or policy constraints. A linear programming model was developed to deteremine the optimal allocation of water between agricultural and coal-fired electrical generating entities as well as the trade offs which could occur if electrical generation were increased. Other areas of potential trade offs such as coal source restrictions and air quality regualtions were also examined. Coal mining and transportation costs were included as were SO2, Nox, and particulate emission rates on a coal …

A User's Manual For Computer Programs Used In: Model Choice: An Operational Comparison Of Stochastic Streamflow Models For Droughts, W. Robert James, David S. Bowles, Nath T. Kottegoda

Reports

The rapid development of stochastic or operational hydrology over the past 10 years has led to the need for some comparative analyses of the currently available long-term persistence models. Five annual stochastic streamflow generation models (autoregressive, autoregressive-moviing-average (ARMA), ARMA-Markov, fast fractional Gaussian noise, and broken line) are compared on their ability to preserved drought-related time series properties and annual statistics. Using Monto Carlo generation procedures and comparing the average generated statistics and drought or water supply properties, a basis is established to evaluated model performance on four different Utah study streams. A seasonal disaggregation model is applied to each of …

Model Choice: An Operational Comparison Of Stochastic Streamflow Models For Droughts, W. Robert James, David S. Bowles, Nath T. Kottegoda

Reports

The rapid development of stochastic or operational hydrology over the past 10 years has led to the need for some comparative analyses of the currently available long-term persistence models. Five annual stochastic streamflow generation models (autoregressive, autoregressive-moving-average (ARMA), ARMA-Markov, fast fractional Gaussian noise, and broken line) are compared on their ability to preserve drought-related time series properties and annual statistics. Using Monte Carlo generation procedures and comparing the average generated statistics and drought or water supply properties, a basis is established to evalute model performance on four different Utah study streams. A seasonal disaggregation model is applied to each of …

Update On Estimation Of Water Surface Elevation Probabilities For The Great Salt Lake, L. Douglas James, David S. Bowles, W. Robert James, Ronald V. Canfield

Reports

The techniques of operational hydrology, employing an autoregrssive moving average (ARMA (1,0) model were used to replicate historical patterns of streamflow into, precipitation on, and evaporation from the Great Salt Lake. The results were combined with a lake water balance model to simulate lake stage sequences beginning with known initial conditions and extending up to 125 years into the future and used to generate probability distributions for future lake stages. Starting with a spring 1980 high stage of 4200.45 ft msl, the best estimate is that the 1981 spring high will be 4200.19, but there is one change in four …

Hydrosalinity Impacts Of Conservation Measures In The Sevier River Basin, Eugene K. Israelsen

Reports

The Sevier River Basin is a water short basin wherein upstream diversions not consumptively used become the water right for downstream users. The diversion-return cycle occurs several times as the stream travels from its mountain source areas to the terminal lake at the lower end of the basin. This study dealt with the proposed implementation of conservation measures which would wawste less diverted water and allow for irrigation of additional acres. The objective was to predict the hydrosalinity impacts of the implementation of these measures. The results indicated that increased consumptive use in the upper areas would decrease the water …

Erosion Inhibitor Performance Evaluation Under Simulated Wind And Rain, C. Earl Israelsen, Eugene K. Israelsen, William N. Mcneill

Reports

Introduction: Increasing public awareness of the desireability of protecting the environment from soil erosion caused by wind and water has centered attention on large construction projects such as highways and housing subdivisions, as well as on individual building sites and parking lots. If unattended, sediment produced from these areas pollutes surface water, restricts drainage, fills reservoirs, damages adjacent land, and upsets the natural ecology of lakes and streams. The search continues for products and practices that will prevent of lessen the amount of sediment leaving construction sites. Products currently in use include chemical as well as organic materials, and they …

Evaluation Of Particular Mulches For Fostering Plant Growth And Inhibiting Erosion (Phase 2), C. Earl Israelsen, Eugene K. Israelsen, William N. Mcneill

Reports

Introduction: Increasing public awareness of the desireability of protecting the environment from soil erosion caused by wnid and water has centered attention on large construction projects such as highways and housing subdivisions, as well as on individual building sites and parking lots. If unattended, sediment produced from these areas pollutes surface water, restricts drainage, fills reservoirs, damages adjacent land, and upsets the natural ecology of lakes and streams. The search continues for products and practices that will prevent or lessen the amount of sediment leaving construction sites. Products currently in use include chamical as well as organic materials, and they …

Calcium Carbonate Precipitation As Influenced By Stream Primary Production, Gretchen L. Rupp, V. Dean Adams

Reports

The potential influence of periphyton photosynthesis on calcium carbonate precipitation was studied for the Logan River, Bear River Mountains, northern Utah. The water chemistry, hydrology, and benthic primary production of the river were monitored for one year. periphyton photosynthesis and calcium carbonate precipitation were measured concurrently in laboratory experiments utilizing radioisotopic tracers. These experiments investigated the effects of water temperature, velocity, and macronutrient concentration on photosynthetically induced calcium carbonate precipitation. In these experiments, the biologic induction of calcium carbonate precipitation was not correlated with water nutrient level. It did, however, reflect water temperature, and was greatest at approximately 10 degrees …

The Occurrence Of Trihalomethane Compounds In Salt Lake City And Ogden, Utah, Drinking Water Supplies, Thomas Peters, V. Dean Adams, Dennis B. George

Reports

A purge and trap, gas chromatography system was developed to analyze for trihalomethane (THMs) compounds at the ppb (parts per billion) level in drinking water. Monthly influent and effluent samples were taken from three Weber Basin Water Conservancy Distrcit treatment plants, three Salt Lake City water treatmetn platns, and one Slat Lake Metropolitan water treatment plant. In addition tap water samples were taken at various business and residential locations in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Ogen, Utah. All samples were analyzed for trihalomethanes and total organic carbon (TOC). In addition to monthly sampling, a comparison of the production of THMs …

The Kinetics Of Rotating Biological Contactors Treating Domestic Wastewater, Abraham Pano, E. Joe Middlebrooks, J. H. Reynolds

Reports

Four, four-stage, laboratory scale rotating biological contactor (RBC) units were employed to develop kinetic models for the RBC process when treating domestic wastewater. The study was conducted at three different temperatures of 5 degrees C, 15 degrees C, and 20 degrees C. Each unit operated at a different constant organic loading rate taht ranged from 4 qCOD/m^2/d to 14 gCOD/m^2/d and at a constand detention time of 2 hours. Carbonaceous substrate removals measured as COD cencentrations with the four-stage RBC's were 80, 85, and 90 percent for 5 degrees C, 15 degrees C, and 20 degrees C, respectively. The major …

Natural Salinity Removal Processes In Reservoirs, Jay J. Messer, Eugene K. Israelsen, V. Dean Adams

Reports

A small but significant amount of salinity removal has been reported by various authors to occur in mainstem Colorado River reservoirs. Recalculation of some of these salinity budgets, together with a review of the data bases used, usggests taht removal has not often been conclusively demonstrated. Laboratory microcosm experiments and field data indicate that calcium carbonate precipitation, perhaps with some coprecipitation of magnesium carbonate, is the mechanism responsible for most of the salinity removal in Oneida Reservoir, Idaho. Coprecipitation processes (including ion exchange), coagulation, and bioassimilation do not appear to be important natural salinity removal mechanisms. Finally, loss of calcium, …

A Methodology For Public-Planner Interaction In Multiobjective Project Planning And Evaluation, Mac Mckee, T. Ward Morgan, Rangesan Narayanan, A. Bruce Bishop

Reports

A review of current multiple objective planning techniques is presented. A critique of certain classes of these techniques is offered, especially in terms of the degree to which they facilitate certain information needs of the planning process. Various tools in operations research are used to constructed a new multiple objective planning methodology, called the "Vector Optimization Decision Convergence Algorithm" (VODCA). An application of the methodology pertaining to water resources development in Utah is documented.

Fielding Ditch Pipeline Computer Simulation Study, Calvin G. Clyde, J. Paul Tullis, Roland W. Jeppson

Reports

The Fielding Ditch Company Pipeline is almost 3 miles long and supplies irrigation water under low pressure to adjacent fields through 33 turnouts along its length. The 24-inch non-reinforced concrete pipeline began to experience repeated structural failures soon after it was placed in operation. This study was done for the Soil Conservation Service by the Utah Water Research Laboratory to gather field data on the pipeline operating characteristics, to analyze the hydraulic transients in the pipeline with the help of a computer simulation model, and to suggest modification to protect the pipeline from future failures caused by transient pressures. Following …