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SPRING RUNOFFCON F E R ENC E

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March 28–29, 2017Eccles Conference Center

Utah State University Logan, Utah

The Spring Runoff Conference, hosted by the USU Water Initiative, is held annually on the campus of Utah State University. The conference provides a forum for interdisciplinary sharing

and exchange of ideas on water-related issues in Utah and the Intermountain Region.

Online Agenda can be found at

water.usu.edu/conference/2017

Photo by Wayne Wurtsbaugh

Data Driven Water Management for an Uncertain Future

®

PLENARY: RESEARCH TO ADDRESS UTAH’S WATER FUTUREThis session features invited talks by recently hired USU faculty giving their research perspectives and invited talks by Utah water agency leads on opportunities for reaserch collaborations.

ECC 216 – Auditorium

8:30 AM WELCOMENancy Mesner – Utah State University

OPENING REMARKSMark McLellan – Utah State University, V.P. of Research

8:40 AM PROSPECTS FOR CURRENT WATER YEARBrian McInerney – National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

9:00 AM NEW INSIGHTS ON UTAH’S CLIMATE HISTORY FROM TREE-RING RECORDSSteve Voelker – Utah State University

9:20 AM THE FLUCTUATING WATER LEVELS OF GREAT SALT LAKE Laura Vernon – Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands

9:40 AM RECENT ADVANCES IN MEASUREMENTS AND MODELING OF SNOW HYDROLOGY IN THE WESTERN U.S. McKenzie Skiles – University of Utah

10:00 AM BREAK

10:20 AM IMPACTS OF DUST DEPOSITION ON LAKE WATER QUALITY Janice Brahney – Utah State University

10:40 AM REMOTE SENSING AS A TOOL FOR WATER MANAGEMENT Alfonso Torres-Rua – Utah State University

11:00 AM IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN UTAH Niel Allen – Utah State University

11:20 AM WATER CONSERVATION IN UTAH Joshua Palmer – Utah Division of Water Resources

11:40 AM PROSPECTS FOR FUTURE WATER AVAILABILITY IN UTAHYoshimitsu Chikamoto – Utah State University

12:10 PM LUNCH is on your own. Conference website has map to some on- or near-campus options.

AFTERNOON SESSION: SCIENCE IN SOCIETY This session showcases successful university-city collaborations, featuring researchers and city stakeholders who have been involved in joint water research activities. We ask: what are the societal benefits of scientific inquiry and what does data-driven policy look like?

ECC 216 – Auditorium

1:30 PM WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN SOCIETY TODAY?Melissa Haeffner – Utah State University

1:40 PM WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN WE COLLABORATE: RESULTS FROM A NOVEL WATER USE DATASET IN URBAN UTAHDoug Jackson-Smith (Ohio State University), Martin Buchert (University of Utah)

2:10 PM ENCOURAGING WATER CONSERVATION THROUGH INFORMATION IN SALT LAKE VALLEY CITIES Panelists: Sara Sutherland (Utah State University), Dan Woodbury (Riverton), Steve Glain (West Jordan), Jordan Allen (South Jordan)

2:30 PM HOW COLLABORATION CONNECTS UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM IMPACTS Joanna Endter-Wada (Utah State University), Stephanie Duer (Salt Lake City)

2:50 PM AGENT-BASED MODELING USING REAL DATA FROM LOGAN, UTAH Ryan James – Utah State University

3:00 PM PANEL: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN SOCIETY? HOW CAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS BETTER COLLABORATE WITH CITIES TO PROMOTE DATA-DRIVEN POLICIES? Moderator: Courtney Flint (Utah State University)Laura Briefer (SLC, Dept of Public Utilities), Paul Lindhardt (City of Logan)

ECC 216 – Auditorium

3:30 PM BREAK

AGENDATuesday, March 28

water.usu.edu

Tuesday, March 28 (continued)

Wednesday, March 29PLENARY: ROBUST DECISION MAKING IN A WORLD OF UNCERTAINTYThis session highlights invited speakers addressing challenges and solutions to managing water resources in the face of climate change. The session will end with a panel discussion.

ECC 216 – Auditorium

8:30 AM WELCOME/”SET THE STAGE”/INTRODUCTIONSSarah Null – Utah State University

8:40 AM ELEVATION DEPENDENT WARMING AND COMMUNICATING FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS Imtiaz Rangwala – University of Colorado

9:10 AM RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE: FOCUS ON ECONOMICS OF AQUATICINVASIVE SPECIES Jason Shogren – University of Wyoming

9:40 AM BREAK

10:00 AM SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT UNDER CLIMATE UNCERTAINTY Casey Brown – University of Massachusetts

10:30 AM EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND SURPRISES ON THE WAYTO ACHIEVING WATER SECURITY Daniel Peter Loucks – Cornell University

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM

PANEL DISCUSSION All

12:00 PM CONFERENCE ADJOURN

1:00 PM –4:30 PM

AWRA J. PAUL RILEY STUDENT COMPETITION (ALL WELCOME) Top Utah students compete for prizes

Rooms 201-203

SPONSORED BY:

Utah State University College of Engineering, the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, the

College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, the Utah State University Ecology Center and the Utah Water Research Laboratory

CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS:

Michelle Baker – Department of Biology Chris Luecke – Quinney College of Natual ResourcesNancy Mesner – Department of Watershed Science

David Tarboton – Civil and Environmental Engineering

Utah State University supports a broad community of students and faculty engaged in water education, research and outreach. The USU Water Initiative provides an overarching umbrella

for the activities of this community, aimed at fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and collegial sharing of ideas related to water across the departments and colleges of Utah State University.

The Spring Runoff Conference provides an opportunity for the sharing of ideas and scholarly debate.

3:45 PM – 5:00 PM

POSTER SESSION LIGHTNING ROUNDEach poster presenter will have two minutes to present two slides with a few important points about their poster.

5:30 PM – 10:00 PM

POSTER SESSION AND RECEPTIONA relaxed opportunity to discuss posters and engage in further conversation. Hors d’oeuvres, soft drinks, cash bar.

Logan Country Club

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

POSTER PRESENTERS WILL STAND BY POSTERS

8:00 PM PRESENTATION OF POSTER AWARDSDavid Rosenberg – Utah State University

PRESENTATION OF H2OATH AWARDSJoshua Palmer – Utah Division of Water Resources

NUMBER TITLE PRIMARY PRESENTER

1 Economic Insight from Utah’s Water Efficiency Supply Curve Eric Edwards

2 Heat flux dynamics in low Arcitc rivers Tyler King

3 Water in Utah: Institutional, Economic, and Political Options for Reform Devin Stein

4 Instream Water Availability in the Sundarbans Mangrove Ecosystem of Bangladesh Sonia Binte Murshed

5 Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Water Quality Concerns in the Jordan River, Salt Lake City Taya Carothers

6 Logan River Projects and Expected Water Quality Impacts Malgorzata Rycewicz-Borecki

7 DNA Stable Isotope Probing Mehod to Examine Carbon Assimilation in Stream Biofilms Beth Ogata

8 Light Degraded Dissolved Organic Matter Increased The Decay Rate of Terrestrial Organic Matter in Experimental Streams

Julie Kelso

9 Performance Analysis of CS725 Snow Water Equivalent Sensor Barbra Utley

10 Monthly Paleostreamflow Reconstruction from Annual Tree-Ring Chronologies James Stagge

11 Longitudinal thermal and solute dynamics in regulated rivers. Muhammad Rezaul Haider

12 Radial Collector Well Design Optimization Saeid Masoudiashtiani

13 Rain as a Resource McKenna Drew

14 Characterizing the Fate and Mobility of Phosphorus in Utah Lake Sediments Matt Randall

15 An analysis of trace element chemistry in Uinta snowpack and subsequent changing of trace element water chemistry in the Upper Provo watershed

Hannah Checketts

16 Climate Change Effects on Surface Water Availability along Utah’s Wasatch Mountain Range David Betts

17 Tracing Changes in Water Chemistry During Spring Runoff Using 87Sr/86Sr in Upper Provo River Colin Hale

18 Exploring the Soil Heat Flux Time Lag using Numerical Simulation and Measurements Chihiro Naruke

19 Dormancy Break of Alkali Bulrush Seeds: Effect of Source Population and Length of Cold Stratification Casey Trout

20 Resolving Spatial and Temporal Variability in Dissolved Organic Matter Characteristics Within Combined Agricultural and Waterways Conveyances

Bryce Mihalevich

21 Make the Rio 'Grande' again: the ecological consequences of an altered flow regime on an arid river Demitra Blythe

22 Mercury Transport During Snowmelt in the Upper Provo River Brian Packer

23 National Water Model Forecasts and USGS Streamflow Observations Acquisition Using IPython Irene Garousi-Nejad

24 Beaver River Watershed Tour and Pesticide Training Mark Nelson

25 The Use of In-Situ Benthic Chambers to Evaluate Nitrogen Transformation Rates in East Canyon Creek Makenzi Beltran

26 Evaluation of Optimal Laboratory Methods for Measuring Nitrogen Transformation Rates in East Canyon Creek

Jared Richens

27 Persistent urban impacts on surface waterPersistent urban impacts on surface water quality via impact-ed groundwater in Red Butte Creek

Rachel Gabor

28 Quantifying the Interaction between Landscape and Climate on Water Resources Andrew Gelderloos

29 Groundwater Modeling of the Uinta Basin, Utah as a Boundary Condition of the Birds Nest Aquifer Richard Lyons

30 Quantifying Controls on Stormwater Quality in Red Butte Creek Mallory Millington

31 Determining seed germination requirements for Navajo Spinach, Cleome serrulata Reagan Wytsalucy

32 Carpe Diem: A high-frequency ‘weather’-tology perspective on western U.S. summertime precipitation Jon Meyer

33 Mass balance evaluation of Lower Knowlton Fork (LKF) watershed, Salt Lake County, Utah Sal Limbu

34 Advancing the Implementation of Hydrologic Models as Web-based Applications. Prasanna Dahal

POSTERS