Researchers wrap up proposal to study new stormwater management technique

By Shelby Ruud

Researchers at Utah State University are finishing a proposal to the Environmental Protection Agency and the city of Logan that will allow the study of bioswales, which are landscape elements designed to remove pollutants from stormwater using vegetation.

There is currently one bioswale in Logan. If approved, the researchers will study the effectiveness of the bioswale this summer and submit their findings in the fall. If the research confirms the benefits of bioswales, more could be implemented in Logan within the next few years.

“Bioswales are an alternate to the cement storm drains we have now,” said Ryan Dupont, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at USU. “Bioswales are a low-cost, passive way to get rid of pollutants in stormwater.”

According to Dupont, stormwater from urban areas carries various harmful pollutants to rivers and lakes. These pollutants include heavy metals and hazardous organics from roadways, parking lots and asphalt rooftops.

“We’re seeing a big impact on the water quality in our rivers, so there’s pressure to make things different,” Dupont said.

Bioswales can also help with the lack of snowfall experienced this year, according to Dupont.

“There’s not much snowpack, and that could mean serious trouble for irrigation and city water needs,” he said. “Bioswales allow us to build up groundwater supply because we can capture the water and store it below the city.”

Bioswales are also visually-pleasing, according to Hailey Wall, a student in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at USU.

“Since the bioswales incorporate plants, they look better compared to the usual cement storm drains,” she said. “They are improving the aesthetics of our city.”

Dupont said the EPA has already confirmed that they will approve the proposal and recommend the plan for funding from the city. 

Guest speaker to discuss extremophiles in the Great Salt Lake

By Shelby Ruud

Studying life in the Great Salt Lake could help scientists know if it’s possible for life to exist on other planets, according to a microbiologist.

“Studying life at the edge, the limits of where life can exist, is critical to understanding if life can exist on other planets or space bodies,” said Bonnie Baxter, a director of the Great Salt Lake Institute and a biology professor at Westminster College.

Baxter will give a presentation on life forms in the Great Salt Lake, called extremophiles, on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Eccles Science Learning Center room 130 on the Utah State University campus.

“Extremophiles are microbes that can live in extreme conditions,” Baxter said. “They thrive at the edge of what we find tolerable. We have isolated microbes on Earth that come from high heat, frozen ice, high sulfur, extreme pH, extreme radiation and, my favorite, high salt.”

Baxter said that studying these microbes is important because it will lead to a better understanding of the potential of life on other planets.

“We used to think life could not exist on Mars because it was too cold, or there was too much radiation or limited water,” she said. “We now know of examples of extremophile life on Earth that can handle each of those conditions. It really opens the door to important questions about life in the universe.”

Baxter’s presentation is a part of Science Unwrapped, a presentation series hosted by USU’s College of Science. Her talk is the last of four presentations of the Science Unwrapped series “Great Salt Lake Today.” In the fall of 2015, the presentation series will be titled “Bridging Troubled Waters.”

The Science Unwrapped presentations are focused on water because of the university’s year-long celebration of the “Year of Water.”

“The ‘Year of Water’ is meant to raise awareness about water issues and water science,” said Charles Hawkins, a professor in USU’s Department of Watershed Sciences. “Emphasizing regional research is a part of that.”

Baxter hopes to get people excited about the Great Salt Lake.

“It is a treasure, and often overlooked in that capacity by the locals,” Baxter said. “It has much to offer us, with many lessons that go beyond science.”

Baxter's presentation will be followed by hands-on learning activities, exhibits and refreshments

More information about Science Unwrapped and Baxter’s presentation can be found at http://www.usu.edu/science/unwrapped/. 

Speaker encourages students to explore close to home

By Shelby Ruud

Students should be excited to explore wherever they are, according to a research fellow at Utah State University.

“If there was a place like nothing else in the world right in your backyard, would you explore it?” Maureen Frank asked a room filled with students and professors in the USU library on Friday.

Frank, who spoke as a part of a fast-paced speaking event called Ignite USU, discussed her research involving the ecosystem of the Great Salt Lake.

Frank originally wanted to focus her research efforts on exploring and conserving the Amazon rainforest. A trip to Honduras changed her mind, and she decided to conduct research closer to home.

“I realized the Great Salt Lake is like its own Amazon. It’s full of diverse life, it’s virtually unexplored and it needs saving,” she said.

Frank told the audience that small efforts to conserve water, such as watering your lawn in the morning instead of at noon, make a big difference to water sources such as the Great Salt Lake, which is nearing record-low levels of water. This affects the animals that depend on the lake and increases the likelihood of dust storms.

“If you like to breathe, then this is worth caring about,” she said.

Frank and the seven other presenters shared their messages in five-minute presentations with slides advancing every fifteen seconds.

“With the limited time frame, they’ll talk about their research, but, really, they’ll talk about the motivation behind their research,” said Mark McLellan, vice president for research and dean of

the School of Graduate Studies.

Heidi DeSandre, a USU student focusing on research psychology, attended the event.

“I really enjoyed the talks,” she said. “It’s interesting how your research can be your own ideas and interests.”

Frank said she has enjoyed exploring close to home and encouraged students to do the same.

“Wherever home is to you, I’m betting there are cool things you haven’t discovered yet,” she said. 

USU student develops new way to monitor invasive grass species

By Shelby Ruud

Controlling phragmites, an invasive grass species that is destroying the Great Salt Lake wetlands, is an expensive problem for the state of Utah, costing approximately $5 million a year.

But are efforts to control phragmites working?

To answer this question, Evan Pool, a student at Utah State University, gathered statistics by studying phragmites plants last summer and has spent the last few months using the data to develop a method to monitor the effectiveness of phragmites management.

“The usual way of monitoring phragmites involves gathering samples, taking them back to the lab and conducting tests and measurement there,” said Pool, who is studying natural resources. “But with this new method, the measurements can be done right there in the field.”

Pool measured 2000 phragmites plants for basal stem diameter, stem length and stem weight. He created graphs with the data.

“Now you can use a set of calipers to measure the basal steam diameter, and from that number you can estimate the stem length and stem height,” Pool said. “This will save time and money.”

Rebekah Downard, another USU student studying the Great Salt Lake wetlands, recognized the value in Pool’s method.

“With phragmites being such a large problem, anything to save money helps,” she said. “Research like this has solid management implications.”

Pool said the information about the effectiveness of controlling phragmites is valuable to researchers.

“Researchers can ask, ‘Is mowing the phragmites working? What method is working the best to stop this plant? What will the next step be?’” Pool said.

Other Utah State researchers are beginning to use Pool’s method and Pool is planning to add to his study this summer with data from an additional 2000 plants. 

Water check program to receive technological update

By Shelby Ruud

Slow the Flow’s water check program, a part of a state-wide campaign to promote water conservation, will implement the use of iPads this summer to make data collection faster and more accurate.

The program, which is overseen by Utah State University’s Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping, offers free sprinkler system evaluations and educational materials to homeowners across Utah and was developed to promote efficient landscape irrigation.

“Utah’s dry growing season creates a strong need to irrigate lawns and landscapes,” said Roger Kjelgren, a professor in USU’s Department of Plants, Soils and Climate. “But there are limitations on water resources. Applying water more efficiently can make a big difference.”

The evaluations conducted through the program identify ways homeowners can irrigate more efficiently.

Using iPads will contribute to water conservancy, according to Kelly Kopp, a professor in USU’s Department of Plants, Soils and Climate and an administrator of the water check program.

“The iPads are going to make our data collection more accurate because they can automatically perform many calculations,” Kopp said. “Also, we’ll save a ton of time not having to enter data into our database by hand.”

The iPads will be used by interns of the program as they conduct the sprinkler system evaluations.

Along with these upgrades, communication with participants of the program will be improved.

“We will be able to notify participants when they need to change their irrigation schedules, probably by email, and provide other resources as well,” Kopp said.

More information about the program and instructions on how to schedule a free water check can be found at http://slowtheflow.org/index.php/forms/free-water-check. 

Researchers examine ducks' effect on seeds

By Shelby Ruud

Studying ducks could help restore Utah’s wetlands, according to researchers at Utah State University.

A study conducted by students and faculty members from the USU Department of Watershed Sciences that ran from November to January showed that when seeds are digested by ducks, they have a higher chance of germinating.

“We already knew that waterfowl are important dispersers of seeds for aquatic plants,” said Bret Mossman, a student who worked on the study. “What we wanted to see here is whether digested seeds are more likely to germinate or not.”

Specifically, the study was focused on the seeds of bulrush.

“Bulrush is an important plant for wetland areas because it provides food and nesting for migratory birds,” said Rebekah Downard, a student in the Department of Watershed Sciences. “It can also be used to restore the areas that have been cleared of invasive plant species, such as phragmites.”

The researchers found that 39.4 percent of ingested seeds germinated, compared to only one percent of control seeds.

“This shows that the seeds are more likely to grow once they’ve been digested by ducks,” Mossman said.

Now the researchers are attempting to mimic the conditions a digested seed experiences.

“If we can isolate and figure out exactly what causes the seeds to germinate, then we will have the means to produce a large number of bulrush seedlings,” Mossman said.

If these studies go well, Mossman said that seed testing in the field may begin within the next year.

“If we get significant results on these next studies, then it’s possible to really make an impact in restoring wetlands,” Mossman said. 

Student’s research wins first place at annual wildlife meeting

By Shelby Ruud

Jamie Reynolds, a student studying wildlife sciences at Utah State University, was honored at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Utah Chapter of The Wildlife Society for her research involving pelican diets.

Reynolds was awarded first place in the student poster category. The meeting, which took place on March 18-20 in Moab, was themed “Managing for an Uncertain Future: Climate, Economics and Habitats.”

Reynolds’ research focused on the impact of American white pelicans on the fish species in Utah’s Strawberry Reservoir, about 20 miles outside of Heber.

When pelicans began showing up at the Strawberry Reservoir a few years ago, locals were worried that the birds would deplete the cutthroat trout population. As Utah’s most popular fishing site, this could have had serious economic consequences.

But locals had no need to worry, according to Reynolds’ research.

“I found that higher amounts of Utah sucker fish led to higher amounts of pelicans on the reservoir,” she said. “And examining what was in the pelicans’ stomachs showed the same thing. The pelicans are eating the Utah sucker fish, not the cutthroat trout.”

This discovery was good news for the community surrounding the Strawberry Reservoir because the Utah sucker fish isn’t one of the fish attracting large crowds, according to Reynolds.

Reynolds conducted the research last summer with faculty mentor Phaedra Budy, a professor in USU’s Department of Watershed Sciences and the USU Ecology Center.

Reynolds also presented the research on Tuesday at the USU Spring Runoff Conference, an event where water resource professionals and researchers focused on water-related issues.

“Emphasizing regional research by faculty and students really allows people to gain a better knowledge of water issues,” said Charles Hawkins, the head of USU’s Department of Watershed Sciences and the chairman of the conference.

Reynolds and Budy will be continuing their research this summer, employing techniques they found useful last year.

“We’ll be more efficient now because we know what works and what doesn’t,” Reynolds said. 

Guest speaker discusses possibility of megadrought

The West may be due for a century-long megadrought, according to a climate scientist.

“Patterns tend to repeat themselves,” said Lynn Ingram, a professor in the Earth, Planetary Science and Geography Department at the University of California, Berkeley. “Megadroughts have happened in the past, and we can expect them to happen again.”

Ingram spoke about climate change to students and researchers in the Eccles Conference Center on Wednesday as a part of the ongoing 2015 USU Natural Resources Week. The week is themed “Protect Water, Protect Life” because it coincided with the annual Spring Runoff Conference, an event where water resource professionals and researchers focused on water-related issues.

Ingram spoke at length about the history of climate change in the West.

“Here we are looking at periods of warming and cooling in the past and the impact they had on water resources and human societies,” Ingram said. “This can be useful in terms of predicting the future.”

Over 70 percent of the West is in a state of drought, which can lead to problems with irrigation and forest fires, according to Ingram.

For these reasons, Ingram emphasized the importance of preparation.

“Preparations for a recurrence of prolonged drought or flooding today are lacking and the potential losses are catastrophic,” she said.

Ingram ended her speech by answering questions from students and researchers.

“This was an important talk because it’s a discussion we need to have,” said Eliza Browning, a student who attended the speech. “Sometimes we forget that water is a finite resource.”

More information about Ingram’s work can be found at http://eps.berkeley.edu/people/lynn-ingram. 

Research posters at Spring Runoff Conference address water issues

By Shelby Ruud

Controlling an invasive grass species was one topic discussed by researchers and guests who attended the Spring Runoff Conference poster session earlier today in the Eccles Conference Center on the Utah State University campus.

The ongoing Spring Runoff Conference is a two-day event where water resource professionals and researchers focus on water-related issues. The poster session was a chance for faculty and students to present results from their research studies.

Though the posters covered a wide range of water-related topics, multiple posters addressed the issue of monitoring and controlling phragmites, an invasive plant species sometimes called common reed.

Phragmites plants invade wetland areas and create a dense mat that blocks other plants from getting sunlight, according to Evan Pool, a student at the Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU.

“Across the state of Utah, managing phragmites costs nearly $5 million dollars,” Pool said. “It’s destroying the wetlands around the Great Salt Lake and wasting money. Any effort to control phragmites is helpful.”

Pool presented a poster that showcased money-saving ways to monitor phragmites, while other researchers presented posters about controlling and reducing patches of phragmites.

Other topics covered by the research posters ranged from water monitoring technology to changes in salinity in Utah streams.

“Presenting this information is a way for us to get ideas,” said Hyrum Tennant, who presented a poster on groundwater monitoring. “We can get people’s suggestions about what to do with our data and what steps to take in our research.”

Mitchell Rasmussen, an environmental studies student at USU, attended the event because it related to his work at the Utah Water Research Laboratory.

“There’s a lot more people here than I expected,” he said. “I guess that shows you that people actually care about water issues.”

More information about water research at USU can be found at http://water.usu.edu/. 

Water researchers prepare for annual conference

By Shelby Ruud

Two special-topic sessions hosted by a panel of water resource professionals and researchers will be the highlight of the annual Spring Runoff Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The conference, which will be held in the Eccles Conference Center on the USU campus, will focus on water-related issues involving all areas of water science.

The first session will discuss the expansion of Clean Water Act protection to headwater streams and geographically-isolated bodies of water.

The second session will discuss the science and policy of managing the amount of flow left in rivers to sustain ecological functions.

Jack Schmidt, a professor in the Department of Watershed Sciences at USU and the organizer of the second session, said that the lack of snowfall this year and its effect on the Colorado River Basin will be important topics at the session.

“I did not realize how topical this session would be,” he said. “The Spring Runoff Conference is literally the place to be for those individuals working in Colorado River policy.”

Along with the two sessions, the conference will consist of a keynote talk by Professor Lynn Ingram from the University of California, Berkeley and a poster session emphasizing regional research by faculty and students.

“Attendees of the conference will gain a better knowledge of the issues affecting water quality and quantity,” said Charles Hawkins, the head of USU’s Department of Watershed Sciences and the chairman of the conference.

Registration for the conference is $100. Students can register for free.

More information about the conference can be found at http://water.usu.edu/htm/conference. 

Researchers use technology to monitor snowmelt

By Shelby Ruud

With snowpack levels below normal this winter, Utah State University researchers are paying closer attention to data provided by a research site located in the T.W. Daniel Experimental Forest.

Snowmelt provides about 80 percent of Utah’s water supply and the spring runoff season is expected to start in early April. The site’s monitoring of the limited snowmelt is crucial for allocating water in Cache Valley, according to Scott Jones, a professor of environmental soil physics at USU.

The site, located about 20 miles northeast of Logan, encompasses 12 towers that are used to monitor weather, soil, snow and water.

The research site provides information that is used to predict the amount, timing and destination of snowmelt.

“We want to understand processes like snowmelt dynamics, which tell us when we can expect to see water filling our reservoirs,” Jones said. “We also want to understand how vegetation affects snowpack and water delivery to our reservoirs and ground water.”

This could be good news for farmers in Cache Valley who are worried about a dry growing season, according to Clark Israelsen, the Utah State University agricultural extension agent for Cache County.

“We depend on the predictions hydrologists make,” Israelsen said. “The information can help us anticipate when the water will be available. It can also help us know when the water will be gone.”

Israelsen predicted the research will help farmers decide when to irrigate.

The research instruments were installed in 2007 as a way to improve drought prediction and management in Utah. Data results are projected to get more accurate over time as more data is collected.

“The next step is interest,” Jones said. “The longer we wait and collect data, the more informative the data is in terms of telling us what has happened and what then might be the future trends.”

The research site is a part of the iUtah network, a statewide research project addressing water issues.

More information about the research site or other iUtah projects can be found on the iUtah website at http://iutahepscor.org/.

About

Welcome to Water Research at Utah State University, where journalist Shelby Ruud covers various ways USU researchers and students are predicting, researching and addressing water problems in Utah. Because Utah is a dry state with a growing population, issues involving water quality and allocation are becoming more important.

Shelby Ruud is a student at Utah State University studying journalism. She grew up in rural Grace, Idaho. Ruud became interested in science and technology in high school while conducting experiments in chemistry class. She started writing about water research as a way to have a more in-depth understanding of water issues.