Water Resource Management Commons^™

Implications Of The 2023 Flood On The Lower Diamond Fork River, Ut, Christian J. Stewart

Watershed Sciences Student Research

The lower Diamond Fork River is located on publicly accessible land owned by the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission and the United States Forest Service. It is located a 30 minute drive away from the Provo-Orem Metropolitan Area and the stream runs parallel to the Diamond Fork Road, giving anglers convenient access to several miles of publicly fishable stream. The focus of this study is the lower Diamond Fork River between US Highway 6 and the Diamond Fork Campground, UT (Figure 1).

The Effect Of Seed Mix Density And Composition On Wetland Plant Community Assembly In The Great Salt Lake Watershed, Elana Feldman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wetlands provide important ecosystem services to society but are in danger across the globe partly due to the spread of invasive species (species that harm humans, the environment, or the economy). One species, Phragmites australis, is a widespread invader across the country, including in the wetlands of the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake. Phragmites australis spreads widely and quickly outcompetes native species. In places where P. australis has already been removed, seeding wetlands helps block P. australis from returning. Native plants’ ability to prevent invasive species from entering the community is affected by many factors, but two that …

Channel Response To Flow Augmentation: Diamond Fork River, Ut, Diane E. Wagner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

A river’s physical features and channel dimensions are determined by the water and sediment supplied to it. The Diamond Fork River, located in central Utah—received large trans-basin diversion flows from 1915-2003, providing an exceptional opportunity to explore the response of a river to a large increase in flow.

Our project goals were to describe 1) channel response to this large and long artificial flow augmentation and 2) how the channel recovered after the removal of the diversion flows. The objective of this thesis is to document the channel condition throughout the 20^th century to present day as a basis …

Impacts Of Lake Elevation Decline On Tui Chub, A Critical Forage Species For Lahontan Cutthroat Trout In Pyramid Lake, Nevada, Usa, Sarah Barnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Lake level decline affects lakes worldwide, changing the availability and character of nearshore habitat used by fish to spawn, and increasing total dissolved solids (TDS), similar to salinity, a factor that negatively impacts fish health. Lake level decline can affect different lakes in different ways, but typically when lake level declines significantly, there is less nearshore habitat overall, and what nearshore habitat remains has less diverse habitat for fish. We investigated whether both impacts of lake level decline may be causing declines of Tui Chub Siphateles bicolor, a large minnow native to Pyramid Lake that spawns in nearshore habitat. …

Evaluation Of The Extent Of Floods In 2022 In Different Land Cover And Land Use Classes In Sindh Province, Pakistan Using Sentinel-1 And Sentinel-2 Imageries, Alina Shrestha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Floods are one of the most frequent and most devastating natural disasters, which cause widespread destruction and pose significant risks to human life, infrastructure, and the environment. Advancement in remote sensing technologies and methodologies have demonstrated their efficacy in disaster-related applications, such as the detection, monitoring, and analysis of floods. This study explores the utilization of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical imagery for flood extent mapping and studying the extent of flood over various land cover and land use classes in Pakistan's Sindh province, utilizing the cloud computing power of Google Earth Engine. The change detection method identified extensive …

Australian Non-Perennial Rivers: Global Lessons And Research Opportunities, Margaret Shanafield, Melanie Blanchette, Edoardo Daly, Naomi Wells, Ryan M. Burrows, Kathryn Korbel, Gabriel C. Rau, Sarah Bourke, Gresley Wakelin-King, Aleicia Holland, Timothy Ralph, Gavan Mcgrath, Belinda Robson, Keirnan Fowler, Martin S. Andersen, Songyan Yu, Christopher S. Jones, Nathan Waltham, Eddie W. Banks, Alissa Flatley, Catherine Leigh, Sally Maxwell, Andre Siebers, Nick Bond, Leah Beesley, Grant Hose, Jordan Iles, Ian Cartwright, Michael Reid, Thiaggo De Castro Tayer, Clément Duvert

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Non-perennial rivers are valuable water resources that support millions of humans globally, as well as unique riparian ecosystems. In Australia, the Earth's driest inhabited continent, over 70% of rivers are non-perennial due to a combination of ancient landscape, dry climates, highly variable rainfall regimes, and human interventions that have altered riverine environments. Here, we review Australian non-perennial river research incorporating geomorphology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology, and Indigenous knowledges. The dominant research themes in Australia were drought, floods, salinity, dryland ecology, and water management. Future research will likely follow these themes but must address emerging threats to river systems due to climate …

Microplastics Fouling Mitigation In Forward Osmosis Membranes By The Molecular Assembly Of Sulfobetaine Zwitterion, Javad Farahbakhsh, Mitra Golgoli, Mehdi Khiadani, Amir Razmjou, Masoumeh Zargar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Forward osmosis (FO) membranes have potential for the efficient water and wastewater treatment applications. However, their development has faced significant challenges due to their fouling propensity. In this study, FO membranes modified with sulfobetaine zwitterions (i.e., [2-(Methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide) were fabricated and used for the first time to address microplastic (MP) fouling issue. Water flux, reverse salt flux (RSF), fouling, and flux recovery were evaluated for the membranes loaded with different quantities of the zwitterions ranging from 0.25 % to 2 %. The developed membranes were tested over 49 h with feed solutions containing polyethylene MPs and bovine serum albumin …

Time-Scale Of Groundwater Recharge In Coastal Plain Soils, Qing Du

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding and modeling the timing and magnitude of groundwater recharge fromrainfall infiltration through vadose zone percolation is important for many reasons but especially because the flux is being acted on by root zone evapotranspiration (ET) and very little of rainfall infiltration ever becomes water table recharge. This study elaborates on the considerable time of the wetting front arrival and ultimate bulk recharge of rainfall infiltration in shallow water table fine-sandy soils typical of coastal plain environments such as Florida. Calibrated Hydrus-1D modeling of Florida (Myakka) soil was evaluated at varying depths of water table and hydraulic conductivities to bracket the …

Variable Drought Impacts On Stream Habitat Across The Northwestern Us, Sophia Withers

Student Research Symposium

The United States has been in a continuous drought since 2002. Stream quality, specifically in the context of fish habitat, depends on many variables, including vegetation quality. Drought conditions affect vegetation conditions, however it is unclear how drought conditions impact stream habitat quality for fish. Objectives for my project include:

• How does stream habitat quality relate to drought across National Forests of the Northwestern US?
• Has drought increased impacts on riparian vegetation over the past 20 years?

Using Macroinvertebrates As Water Quality Indicators In Angelina River, Aditi Dangi, Asa Dillon, Jolene Manlapaz, Ashley Riley, Hope Stowe

Undergraduate Research Conference

The Angelina River supports a variety of macroinvertebrates, fertilizers, and water-tolerant flora. The goal of this research was to create a complete dataset on water quality that included variables such as pH, dissolved oxygen content, nitrate levels, and temperature. The main objective was to link water contamination indicators with macroinvertebrate diversity to establish an early warning system for ecosystem health by collecting samples at two different locations of the Angelina River.

Analysis using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Lehigh Environmental Initiative guidelines showed that both locations had acceptable dissolved oxygen levels and healthy nitrate levels despite the environmental fluctuation. Using …

Navigating Murky Waters: State-Level Strategies For Wetland Preservation And Tile Drainage Regulation After Sackett V. Epa, Caleb M. Swanson

Honors Thesis

Wetlands are some of the world’s most valuable ecosystems, serving as provisioners of species habitat, carbon sequestration, flood mitigation, water quality purification, and other ecosystem services. Human development has resulted in substantial wetland loss the world over. In the 1970s, the United States Congress passed the Clean Water Act, giving the EPA broad authority over wetland protection. However, in the summer of 2023, the United States Supreme Court decided Sackett v. EPA, limiting the EPA’s jurisdiction over wetlands to those indistinguishably connected to generally recognized “Waters of the United States” and removing federal protection for millions of acres of wetlands, …

Utah Lake Paleoecology Study Report To Deq, April 2024, J. Brahney, L. King, M. Devey, M. Carter, G. Carling, S. Brothers, A. Provard, B. Young, R. West

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Utah Lake is a large shallow eutrophic lake located in north central Utah. In recent years, the occurrence of frequent and sometimes toxic algal blooms has brought new urgency in understanding the cause and effects of eutrophication in Utah Lake. The drainage basin of Utah Lake is dominated by carbonate sedimentary materials and small pockets of phosphate rock occur. Given the bedrock geology and shallow nature of the lake, there has been uncertainty as to the natural trophic status and ecology of the lake prior to the settlement of Utah Valley. Thus, defining historical nutrient concentrations and sources in the …

Sovereign Seeds: Analyzing The Sustainability Of Peasant Seeds In The Context Of Climate Change And Rural Exodus In Tunisia, Alice Carlson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

How sustainable are peasant seeds? I answer this question on the basis of three elements: environment, economy, and social justice. Using interviews with farmers from various regions of Tunisia, an interview with an expert on climate change and migration, and an interview with a civil society organization working to promote sustainable agriculture, I found that peasant seeds are a sustainable solution for a suffering agricultural sector. Depleted water sources and drought are bringing to light the problems with water-intensive hybrid seeds, and farmers are losing money. As young men increasingly leave the agricultural sector, women are left behind, finding themselves …

Addressing Water Scarcity In Rural Areas Of The Souss-Massa Region Of Morocco: Comparative Analysis Of Desalination, Fog Harvesting, And Wastewater Treatment Methods With Considerations Of Technical Viability And Human Rights, Lina Migliore

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Water scarcity is one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges worldwide, most notably in arid and semi-arid regions like Morocco. This study conducts a comprehensive comparative analysis of three sustainable water management strategies currently being developed in the Souss Massa region of southern Morocco: fog harvesting, desalination, and wastewater treatment. Drawing upon empirical data, interviews, and existing scientific literature, the research explores the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of each approach. Fog harvesting is a locally driven solution that takes advantage of natural phenomena to collect water, albeit with limitations in reliability. Desalination is promising in addressing long-term water scarcity …

Water Current, Volume 56, No. 1, Spring 2024

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Demographic Consequences Of Off-River Nesting For Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) And Interior Least Tern (Sternula Antillarum Athalassos) In The Lower Platte River System, Nebraska, Elsa M. Forsberg

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; hereafter, plovers) and interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos; hereafter, terns) are two avian species that nest along the Lower Platte River system (LPRS) in Nebraska. In the LPRS, river sandbars provide natural nesting habitat, but off-river sites provide substantial nesting habitat especially when sandbar habitat is scarce. Although presumed to be important for the persistence of plovers and terns, off-river habitat is not self-sustaining and predicted to decline. Understanding the vital rates of plovers and terns in the LPRS will inform the role of off- river sites in the future conservation …

Heat Mitigation Impacts Of Agriculture, Greenspace, And Riparian Forest In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brennan Davis

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Albuquerque, New Mexico, alongside the larger American desert Southwest, is already living the reality of climate change – temperatures have risen faster than the global average and, left unchecked, will continue to rise at an ever-increasing pace (NOAA 2022, Garfin et al. 2014). Alongside this disproportionate warming, the Southwest has experienced worsening drought which further stresses an already arid system (White et al. 2023, Dunbar et al. 2022). At the intersection of these changes lie a myriad of interrelated consequences for both ecosystems and communities. The urban heat island effect is one of many such consequences and is responsible for …

Beneath The Surface: Exploring The Power Of Aquatic Rewilding In Europe, Jose Cornejo

Posters - 2024

This relatively new concept has been used mainly in various European projects that in words of the European Rewilding project, the leading organization in rewilding, is helping preserve Europe biodiversity richness and enhance benefits that nature provides to humans (Rewilding Europe, n.d.). This rewilding method is also applied in the aquatic ecosystem, which is often called marine rewilding or freshwater rewilding, and it can be applied to any freshwater, brackish, or saltwater. Therefore, for the purpose of uniting them we will call it aquatic rewilding.

There are many aquatic restoration projects and research compared to aquatic rewilding projects and organizations …

Water Contaminant Analysis Using Ic And Faas, Malachi Farley, Susan Oxley

Posters - 2024

Water in local areas contain contaminants that could be gathered from pollution, runoff, or even rain in public and private water systems. These water systems include potential aquifers, public water works, ponds, wells, lakes, etc. In this experiment, anion determination of 𝐶𝑙−, 𝐵𝑟𝑂3 − , 𝑆𝑂4 2−, 𝑃𝑂4 3−, 𝑁𝑂3 −, 𝑁𝑂2 −, and 𝐵𝑟𝑂3 − in local and drinking water was used to determine if the local or drinking water is suitable for consumption through Ion Chromatography. A common metal, Potassium, 𝐾 +, was also determined in local and drinking water to determine if the potassium levels were suitable …

Nonstationary Recharge Responses To A Drying Climate In The Gnangara Groundwater System, Western Australia, Simone Gelsinari, Sarah Bourke, James Mccallum, Don Mcfarlane, Joel Hall, Richard Silberstein, Sally Thompson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The response of groundwater recharge to climate change needs to be understood to enable sustainable management of groundwater systems today and in the future, yet observations of recharge over long-enough time periods to reveal responses to climate trends are scarce. Here we present a meta-analysis of 60 years of recharge studies over the Gnangara Groundwater System of South-West Western Australia, covering a period of sustained drying consistent with climate change projections. The recharge process in the area is defined by a wet winter during which rain saturates a deep, highly permeable soil profile with very low water storage capacity. Measurements …

Integrating Drone And Satellite Imaging With Machine Learning For Green Stormwater Infrastructure Condition Assessments, Matthew Dupasquier

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) has been increasingly utilized to improve urban stormwater management strategies. However, the performance and utility of GSI decrease over time if the infrastructure is not properly maintained. In recent history, the intrinsic operations and maintenance costs associated with the complex networks of new infrastructure have placed a burden on municipalities, ultimately prohibiting many from reaching the full extent of their stormwater management goals. One way for cities to achieve cost savings is through automated monitoring that can quickly assess the condition of GSI assets; however, existing cost-effective technologies are limited. Drones and satellites may be able …

Advancing Depth-Storage-Discharge Modeling In Regional Hydrology, Fahad Alshehri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development of an innovative approach to populating rating characteristics and supporting hydrologic modeling, designed to simplify complex real-world hydrological systems and accurately estimate their responses to rainfall, runoff, baseflow and evaporation stresses. The core of this research addresses the challenges inherent in characterizing hydrography elements in hydrologic modeling, particularly in regions lacking comprehensive stream reach survey data, flow and stage. This issue is pronounced in areas with extensive wetland hydrography, where traditional modeling requires intensive manual calibration, and course rating data that are often unavailable. To overcome these challenges, this study introduces a novel procedure that …

Hurricane Impacts On Water Resources: A Look At Nature-Based Solutions To Improve Long-Term Resilience, Fautemeh Sajadi Bami

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Severe storms are a common occurrence in the state of Florida. Hurricane events may cause hazards such as flooding, property damage, death, and many others. Such far-reaching impacts may potentially result in dangerous consequences where they occur. Of interest to this study were the impacts on water resources and water quality caused by storms. Hurricanes can bring about a deluge. An apparent excess of water may cause the notion of water scarcity to seem less significant. However, problems with potable water can be quite frequent due to storms.

This research sought to address the impacts of severe storms on water …

The Impacts Of Nature-Based Sediment Restoration Practices On Coastal Wetland Soil Biogeochemistry, Jacob Z. Cheng

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal marshes provide many valuable ecosystem services. However, these wetlands are threatened worldwide, being subject to sea level rise, sediment starvation, subsidence, coastal edge erosion, etc. Many efforts are being made to counteract this wetland loss and preserve the ecosystem services. Two such methods are sediment diversion and the thin layer placement (TLP) of dredged sediment.

Sediment diversion involves reconnecting the main channel of a river body to disconnected wetlands, supplying much needed soil-building materials. However, this method affects the salinity of the waters, introducing large amounts of freshwater into the system. Salinity changes can affect marsh biogeochemistry. Most ecological …

Trading Policy, Practice And Prospect On Marine Carbon Sequestration In China, Jingming Dong, Zifei Liu, Limei Chen

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Marine carbon sequestration trading is the inherent requirement and effective mechanism for marine eco-civilization development, maritime economic strategy. The research compares and analyzes the policies and practices of China’s marine carbon sequestration trading, and looks forward its future development tendency. It is pointed points out that under the framework of the national Dual Carbon goals, especially in “1+N” policy, the top-level system of China’s marine carbon sequestration trading has initially formed. Many relevant industry standards have been introduced and implemented at the national level. Then at the local level, some regions have introduced and implemented marine carbon sequestration calculation guidelines …

Dissolved Nitrogen Removal In Biochar Amended, High Permeability Media For Urban Stormwater Treatment, Mark Vicciardo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient pollution in stormwater drives the eutrophication of inland and costal waterbodies which leads to sea grass retreat and the proliferation of harmful algal blooms (HAB). These anthropogenic effects destabilize ecosystems, and some HABs can pose direct human health risk. Bioretention, or the storage and controlled discharge of stormwater run-off in an ecologically engineered setting, is a potential solution to this problem. However, it relies heavily on the settling of particles as a nutrient removal mechanism, and thus struggles with pollutants, such as dissolved nitrogen, which is a particular problem in Florida where the geological prominence of phosphorus leaves nitrogen …

Accuracy Of Nitrate Hysteresis And Flushing For Agricultural Watersheds In The Midwest, Noah Rudko, Sara K. W. Mcmillian, Jane Frankenberger, François Birgand

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Storm event-based metrics, such as hysteresis (HI) and flushing (FI), are used to differentiate nitrate pathways and sources, which is essential for watershed management. Estimations of these event-based metrics typically use high frequency (15-minute – hourly) measurements, but daily data are also used due to their greater availability. To date, there has been no study assessing how using lower frequency samples affect the accuracy of HI and FI, which could skew interpretation of potential nutrient pathways and sources. We used continuous measurements of nitrate collected at 9 watersheds throughout the Midwest spanning 448 storms. HI and FI were estimated from …

Manufacturing Supported Loose-Nanofiltration Polymeric Membranes With Eco-Friendly Solvents On An R2r System, David Lu, Kwangjun Jung, Ju Young Shim, Tequila A. L. Harris, Isabel Escobar

UK CARES Faculty Publications

In this study, loose nanofiltration membranes made of polysulfone dissolved in co-solvents PolarClean and gamma-Valerolactone were prepared via slot die coating (SDC) on a roll-to-roll (R2R) system by directly coating them onto a support layer or free standing. A solution flow rate of 20 mL/min, substrate speed of 17.1 mm/s, and coating gap of 0.1 mm resulted in the formation of membranes without structural defects. Pre-wetting the support layer with dope solution minimized shrinkage of membrane layer thickness and improved interfacial adhesion. Membrane samples produced using SDC exhibited properties and performance consistent with bench-scale doctor blade extruded samples; pre-wetted and …

An Examination Of Thematic Research, Development, And Trends In Remote Sensing Applied To Conservation Agriculture, Zobaer Ahmed, Aaron Shew, Lawton Nalley, Michael Popp, V. Steven Green, Kristofor Brye

Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies Publications and Presentations

Conservation agriculture seeks to reduce environmental degradation through sustainable management of agricultural land. Since the 1990s, agricultural research has been conducted using remote sensing technologies; however, few previous reviews have been conducted focused on different conservation management practices. Most of the previous literature has focused on the application of remote sensing in agriculture without focusing exclusively on conservation practices, with some only providing a narrative review, others using biophysical remote sensing for quantitative estimates of the bio-geo-chemical-physical properties of soils and crops, and few others focused on single agricultural management practices. This paper used the preferred reporting items for systematic …

Field Research Report: Results From The Enreec Vri Field For The 2021, 2022, And 2023 Crop Seasons, Derek M. Heeren, Ali T. Mohammed, Eric Wilkening, Christopher M. U. Neale, Alan L. Boldt, Ankit Chandra, Precious Nneka Amori, Ivo Z. Goncalves, Yeyin Shi, Guillermo R. Balboa

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Long-term irrigation management research has been conducted from 2014 to 2023 for corn and soybean at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center (ENREEC) Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) Field located in subhumid east-central Nebraska (in the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District). The objective of this report was to present the overall results from the VRI Field for 2021 to 2023. Across the three growing seasons, there were the following irrigation treatments: Best Management Practice (BMP), 50% BMP, 125% BMP, rainfed, Spatial ET Modeling Interface (SETMI), SDD1, SDD2, machine-learning-based Cyber-Physical System (CPS), a student team recommended rate, and industry …