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The dormant seeding of safflower on dryfarms has shown great potential in northern Utah and southern Idaho, but acceptable weed control is a major concern before this practice can be recommended on a larger commercial scale.

This fact sheet provides information on growing safflower in Utah. It has become popular on dryland farms in rotation with winter wheat. Safflower seed provides three products, oil, meal, and birdseed.

This report summarizes on-farm performance of irrigated silage corn hybrids at Benson (Cache County) in 2006. The site is at 4439 ft elevation and has a long-term average of 2800 corn growing degree days (50/86° F) per year. Hybrids were seeded with a six-row planter on May 10 at approximately 35,000 seeds/ac into Kidman fine sandy loam. Plots were six rows wide at 30-in row spacing by 1070 ft long in three randomized complete blocks.

Introduction: The project was successful in obtaining eight different brands of new toilet tanks in the 3.5 gals-per-flish-bariety, and two used ones requiring 5.0 gals per flish. The tanks were installed on a t atime on a padded stell frame and connected to a water supply. The float was adjusted to maintain the water in the tank at the level recommended by the manufacturer. When the flush and shut-off mechanisms were adjusted properly, the testing begain.

Introduction: Manufacturers are continually seeking ways of improving the effectiveness of their erosion control products. Products currently in use include chemical as well as organic materials, and they are applied with varying degrees of success. The Fibers Division of the CONWED Corporation, one of the nation's most progressive producers of erosion control products, requested the comparative testing of some of their new products with those of some leading competitors. This report contains results of those tests.

Introduction: In January, 1990 a report bearing the same title as this report was prepared and submitted to CONWED Corporation. It contained results from tests performed on experimental erosion control blankets that CONWED was developing. This report provides similar test results of additional new material.

Introduction: Controlling the erosion of soil is a growing concern in the developed countries of the world, and continuing attempts are being made to develop new and better erosion control products. Only by careful comparative testing of such products under similar conditions is it possible to determine their relative merits. in the test facility at the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL), the variables of wind, sunlight, soil, hillslope, and rainfall rate and duration can all be independently controlled, thus providing an ideal location for determining the actual effectiveness or various kinds of erosion control products. Aspen Environmental Constultants, Inc. contracted with the UWRL to make preliminary evaluations for their clients of two erosion control blankets and several concentrations of a liquid control material.

The rainfall simulator at the Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, was utilized in evaluating various types of license plates. This unique facility enables the production of controlled uniform rainfall inside the laboratory. For this experiment, rainfall rates of 0" (dry), 1/2" and 2" per hour were used to compare reflective performance of reflective sheeting (RS), beads-on-paint (BOP), and new paint (NP) license plates under dark nighttime conditions. Both new and used license plates were evaluted. The three types of new plates were made and embossed at the Idaho State Prison using stanard state manufacturing procedures. The used plates were from the current Idaho issue (RS) and from Missouri (BOP). The used plates averaged 1 year exposure for the BOP plates and over 3 years for the RS plates. Reflectance of plates was measured under various wet and dry nighttime conditions using appropriate photometric equipment. Legibility of the plates under these same conditions as well as in daylight-dry conditions was determined by using selected trained human observers. Results of both the photometric and legibility parts of these tests indicate the superiority of RS plates over both the BOP and NP plates.

Introduction: Utilizing a rainfall simulator, a sunlight simulator, and a wind generator, the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL), Utah State University (USU), completed in 1979 and 1981 a series of evaluations of erosion control products for CONWED Corporation. Increasingly more commercial products for controlling erosion are being produced nationally and there remains a need to evaluate the effectiveness of these, one against another, in order that potential users may make cost-effective decisions in their use. CONWED recognizes this need and has funded the comparative testing of its own products and some of those of leading competitors throughout the country. The objective of the study presented herein was to evaluate under the rainfall simulator the effectiveness of CONWED Hydro Mulch mixed with each of three different commerical products used as tackifiers, Terra Tack I, M-Binder, and Hydro Bond. The study included also the evaluation of three specialy erosion control products, also the evaluation of three specialty erosion control products, CONWED netting, Lud low jute blanket, and American Excelsior blanket.

Introduction: The major goals of this publication are to: * promote an awareness of the importance of water resources associated with the target watershed; * provide teachers with learning resources which are easily used in the classroom or in the field; and * provide teachers with teaching materials which help satisfy State Core Standards.

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 are applied with barying degrees of success. Many designed to stabilize the unprotected soil for a long enough period of time for vegetation to become established are in wide use and are quite effectives (Clyde et al. 1978). Moreover, applying organic material to the soil surface around shallow-rooted crops has been a cultural practice for many years (Russell 1961). Janick (1963) summarized the effects of mulching as conservation of soil moisture, reduction of surface runoff and erosion, reduction of evaporation, and possible control of weeks. others (Borst and Woodburn 1942; Duley 1929) have indicated the value of mulches in reducing runoff and erosion. Mulching has been reported as superior to other treatments for reducing soil and water losses and stabilizing bare slopes before grass is established (swandson et al. 1965). Gilbert and Davis (1967) and Blaser (1962), in studies of highway slope stabilization, found mulches improved seed germination and seed;omg grpwtj bu conserving moisture and protecting highway slopes against erosion. Many materials have been evaluated for use as a mulch, including bark, wood wastes, soybean residues, wheat straw, and seaweed (Bollen and Glennie 1961; Kidder et al. 1943; Latimer and Percival 1947). McKee et al. (1964) found wheat straw to be one of the best mulches, particularly when used to aid vegitation establishment on steep cut slopes of highways. Osborne and Gilbert (1978) also demonstrated that shredded hardwood bark mulch provided adequate erosion control on highway slopes. The objectives of the present study was to evaluate, using simulated rainfall and wind, the effectiveness of various mulches and tackifiers for controlling erosion. Results of these tests are comparable to those obtained by the Utah Water Research Laboratory for CONWED in 1979 in that they wre generated in the same test facility on similar soil, using identical conditions of slope and rainfall rate.

Preface: Water Activites for Elementary Children is based upon the assumption that children learn best by doing. In education, and especilly in science, talking is not necessarily teaching. The most desireable types of learning involve direct, first hand experience, not just a teacher's interpretation of these experiences. This set of learning experiences has been designed for teachers, teachers-in-training, and children, Each concept includes background information for the teacher and learning activities for the children. Lessons are designed so taht a teacher can successfully teach a unit or lession with a minimum of knowledge, preparation, and equipmnet. Most of the suggested materials are common, inexpensive items that can be easily obtained. Activities include student experiments, teacher demonstrations, reference study, and field experiences. Extension activities are designed to enrich each basic lesson. What is Water Education? Publich understanding of water, water management, and water related issues is basic to solving present and future water problems. Unfortunately, most people are only vaguely aware of the role water plays in their lives. The long term challenge is to make people water-literate, to educate citizens with respect to the problems and complexities of monitoring both ecologically and economically sound people-water ineractions. The authors assume that such understandins have simple "background" beginnings. For a child, these beginnings constitute playing with water. For an adult, these beginnings consist of awareness of people-water relationships in the immediate environment. Water literacy includes the following components: 1. Comprehension: An individual should know some of the facts about water, have an understanding of water-related concepts, and be able to express them in oral and/or written form. 2. Attitudes: An individual must have the ability and willingness to develop responsible and realistic attitudes based on what has been learned about water. 3. Skills: The ability and willingness to act in direct response to waht has been learned about water, to use the skills of observation, inference, classification, and problems solving in laboratory or real life situations, and to handle and use available equipment effectively. Water is a great excuse to do some fun and exciting things! The activities in this manual will help students develop a scientific attitude. Children can begin to learn cause and effect relationship, increase their natural curiosity, suspend judgment, develop a desire to search for answers, and approach problems with an open mind.

Introduction: Fibrex Corporation has capability for manufacturing various blends of cellulose fibers which have been used at locations throughout the country for temporarily controlling erosion on denuded land areas, and for serving as growth media for grass and other vegetation. Soil and climatic conditions vary greatly where these products are used, and it is not possible to determine by observation whether one is more effective than another in controlling erosion or promoting vegetative growth. Fibrex is desirous of knowing with some degree of confidence which products have the highest level of erosion control so that additional efforts can be directed towards their production and sales for the purpose of meeting erosion control needs. The Utah Water Research Laboratory is experienced in erosion control activities and was contacted by Fibrex to evaluate the effectiveness of five particular products for controlling erosion. All testing was done inside the laboratory using a rainfall simulaotr and a fixed tiltable test bed. Erosion control materials were applied on a slope of 2:1 (50 percent) at the rate of 2000 lbs. per acre.

Boeing Engineering and Construction (BEAC) is investigating the feasibility of transporting Utah coal via slurry pipeline to the west coast. Such an investigation requires an abundance of data concerning such things as they availability and quality of water which can be slurried with coal, the location of such water with respect to the deposits of coal, and the ultimate disposal of the water at the pipeline's end. This study generated a limited amount of new data and gathered existing data and information related to surface and underground water within a 50-mile radius of Emery, Utah, but restricted primarily to the Colorado River drainage. Data were gathered also of coal and water in mines within the same area, and determinations were made of their mutual effects on each other when slurried together in the laboratory. Tasks are listed and discussed in this report in the same order as they appear in the research proposal. Supporting data and information in the form of maps, tables, charts, and references are also included.

Maps were made of the Upper Colorado River Basin showing locations of coal deposits, oil and gas, oil shale, uranium, and tar sand, in relationship to cities and towns in the area. Superimposed on these are locations of wells showing four ranges of water quality; 1,000-3,000 mg/l, 3,000-10,000 mg/l, 10,000-35,000 mg/l, and over 35,000 mg/l. Information was assembled relative to future energy-related projects in the upper basin, and estimates were made of their anticipated water needs. Using computer models, various options were tested for using saline water for coal-fired power plant cooling. Both cooling towers and brine evaporation ponds were included. information is presented of several proven water treatment technologies, and comparisons are made of their cost effectiveness when placed in various combinations in the power plant makeup and blowdown water systems. A relative value scale was developed which compares graphically the relative values of water of different salinities based on three different water treatment options and predetermined upper limits of cooling tower circulating salinities. Coal from several different mines was slurried in waters of different salinities. Samples were analyzed in the laboratory to determine which constituents had been leached from or absorbed by the coal, and what possible deleterious effects this might have on the burning properties of the coal, or on the water for culinary use or irrigation.

Executive Summary

Summary: Highway constuction as we know it today is a high-risk activity with respect to engendering soil erosion. In earlier days of road building, when rights-of-way were generally narrow and excavations mostly shollow, erosion was rarely a serious problem. Only occasionally was it considered necessary to design and apply specific measures for erosion control. With the advent of the superhighway involving far greater widths of right-of-way, and much deeper disturbance of the natural ground to affort the horizontal and vertical highway geometry necessary for high-speed travel, came a several fold increase in erosion potential and a direct need for specific action aimed at its control. Highway engineers have reacted by revising contruction specifications to include many protective measures. In creaseing public awareness of the desireability of protecting the environment has been a source of both support and pressure in the application of erosion control in highway construction. Although improvement has been significant, unwanted soil erosion and accompanying sedimentation resulting from highway construction activity continue to be problems. A lack of knowledge within the highway industry of improved erosion control measures developed outside the industry, perhaps some resistance to change because of a lack of familiarity with erosion control measures, and in some instances a need for information not now available anywhere, are probably the major contributors to continuation of the problem. The present project was directed at improving erosion control practice in highway construction by providing assistance in all three of the foregoing areas contributory to the problem. The principal output of the study is a MANUAL of erosion control principles and practices. The MANUAL focuses on techniques for predicting the erosion potential of highway construction sites, and for estimating the effectiveness of various erosion control measures. A wide variety of control measures are listed and described, and information that will aid in selecting measures to meet specific site requirements is presented. Design standards for control measures, and information on such matters as size selection for mechanical control measures, are not included in the MANUAL because these are already widely available in highway engineering offices. To develop the erosion control MANUAL on which the project effort was centered, means had to be established for estimating the water and wind soil erosion potentials on highway construction sites and the effectiveness of various measures that might be considered for controlling the erosion. The universal soil loss equation (

Introduction: Objective: In April, 1977 the President's statement on water projects recommended that a number of federal water development projects, including the Conneville unit of the Central Utah Project, not be completed. The ensuing efforts of project supporters brought about a review of the projected costs, benefits, and other political, social and environmental factors and consequently, the current issue is not whether or not the project should be constructed. Rather, the objective of this report is to examine the following question: Given the fact that at least the 5 units of the CUP which have already been authorized will eventually be constructed, what is the most desireable rate of construction funding?

Introduction: Newly constructed earth channels and steep cut and fill slopes on construction projects need temporary protection from water erosion until a protective cover of vegetation can be grown. In some instances the temporary protective measures can be left in position to serve as part of the permanent system. Various kinds of vegetative and chemical mulches are available for use as temporary control measures, and other materials such as jute, fiberglass roving, and excelsior blanket are also in use. However, for large volumes of flow and for high velocities, more substantial materials are required. One class of such materials is referred to as ECRM, or Erosion Control and Revegetation Mats. These are designed primarily for use on steep slopes and in drainage channels where high velocities of flow are encountered, and where mulches are not effective. Mirafi engineers, in cooperations with 3M Company, have developed an ECRM called Miramat, which is a flexible, three-dimensional web of bonded binyl monofilaments. Since commercial introduction, it has gained rapid market acceptance, but more information was desired on its performance capabilities and limitations. The objective of the present study was to conduct performance tests in the laboratory of two ECRMs, Miramat and Enkamat. one measure of the protective ability of such material is the flow velocity it can withstand before excessive erosion occurs. The determination of this permissible velocity was one of the objectives of these tests.

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 are applied with varying degrees of success. Many designed to stabilize the unprotected soil for a long enough period of time for vegetation to become established are in wide use and are quite effective (Clyde et al. 1978). Moreover, applying organic material to the soil surface around shallow-rooted crops has been a cultural practice for many years (Russell 1961). Janick (1963) summarized the effects of mulching as conservation of soil moisture, reduction of surface runoff and erosion, reduction of evaporation, and possible control of weeks. Others (Borst and Woodburn 1942; Duley 1939) have indicted the value of mulches in reducing runoff and erosion. Mulching has been reported as superior to other treatments for reducing soil and water losses and stabilizing bare slops before grass is established (Swanson et al. 1065). Gilbert and David (1967( and Blaser (1962), in studies of highway slope stabilization, found mulches improved seed germination and seedling growth by conserving moisture and protecting highway slopes against erosion. Many materials have been evaluated for use as a mulch, including bark, wood wastes, soybean residues, wheat straw, and seaweed (Bollen and Glennie 1961; Kidder et al. 1943; Latimer and Percival 1947). McKee et al. (1964) found wheat straw to be one of the best mulches, particularly when used to aid vegetation establishment on steep cut slopes of highways. Osborne and Gilbert (1978) also demonstrated that stredded hardwood bark mulch provided adequate erosion control on highway slopes. A previous study conducted by the Utah Water Reseach Laboratory evaluated, using simulated rainfall and sunlight, the effectiveness of various fiber mulches for controlling erosion to facilitate the establishment and growth of barley on a 2:1 (50 percent) slope. The objective of the present study was to perform similar evalutations of additional mulches.

Aerial applications of both liquid and powder evaporation retardants have been made in parallel strips on large lakes for purposes of comparison. Films formed from powder spread more rapidly than did those from liquid, but usually both films ultimately spread to approximately equal widths and had the same degree of compression as determined with indicator oils. Evaporation retarding materials with large numbers of particles having diameters smaller than 75 microns are greatly affected by the wind. As the chemical is dispensed from the airplane. the fine particles drift with the wind and in some instances are carried onto the land areas surrounding the lakes. Materials with extra large particles are less affected by wind but are not as effective for film formation. Powders and sprays having mean particle diameters between 75 and 200 microns appear to be desirable for aerial applications.

A comprehensive review of literature was made of studies conducted since 1952 pertaining to the accuracy of can-type precipitation gage measurements. Brief discussions are given of the results of some of them, and conclusions are drawn. Topics discussed include raingage comparisons, accuracy of precipitation measurements, precipitation gage errors, and precipitation measurements in mountains. A bibliography is included

Difficulties caused by sediment carried in natural streams have existed since earliest times. Although instruments and techniques for measuring stream discharge have existed for many years, only recently have attempts been made to measure sediment carried by the streams. The earliest observations of sediment discharge in the United States were made by Captain Talcott in the Mississippi River in 1838 (1). More or less continuous samples of sediment from the Rio Grande have been collected by the United States Geological Survey since 1879, and from the Colorado River Basin since 1925. Studies of sediment transport are seriously hampered by the lack of adequate measuring instruments. The most widely used method of measurement involves the collection and analysis of intermittent samples from which is computed the required information. The complexity and expense of these techniques prohibit their continual use in all but a relatively few of the world’s rivers and streams. In an attempt to reduce the cost and improve the quality of sediment-discharge information, the Federal Interagency Committee on Water Resources, Subcommittee on Sedimentation, ahs established the immediate goal of developing an instrument for determining either directly or indirectly the sediment concentration at a point in a stream cross section (1). Their ultimate objective is the development of instruments that will automatically sense and record the quantity and character of sediment loads transported by natural streams. The record thus produced should be continuous, or intermittent at sufficient frequency to define a continuous record of the sediment discharge. Several different ways of automatically determining the concentration of suspended sediment have been or are being studies (1). These include electronic sensors which measure resistance changes due to the presence of sediment; differential-pressure devices which measure changes in pressure between two elevations in a flowing sediment-water mixture; the use of ultrasonics for measuring suspended sediment concentration; and nuclear devices which use radioisotopes for determining concentration. Another possibility for indirectly determining sediment concentration is to measure effects of the concentration on the dielectric properties of the transporting water. Preliminary work (2, 14) on this method consisted primarily of the design of electrical circuitry and a problem for making capacitance measurements in water – sediment samples. Electronic difficulties were encountered and the project was discontinued. More recently the problem was reviewed by electrical engineering research personnel of the Utah Water Research Laboratory, and a decision was made to conduct further feasibility tests under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service. The first reported part of this study consists of the design and laboratory testing of several theoretically-workable circuit configurations of capacitance –measuring equipment. A number of these are described in detail in an appendix to this report. The second part includes results of a series of laboratory measurements of dielectric characteristics of various water-sediment and water-salt mixtures as they are influenced by temperature and concentration changes. This report is somewhat interim in nature inasmuch as the study will continue for at least another year.

A network of telemetering precipitation gages is operating in the mountainous areas of northern Utah, western Wyoming, and southern Idaho as part of the Wasatch Weather Modification Project. Approximately 40 individual gages collected and reported data during the 1968-69 winter season from distances up to 130 miles. In addition to the remotely located gages, the system includes an Automatic Readout Console (ARC) at the Utah Water Research Laboratory that is connected by a cable to a translator on top of Mt. Logan. The ARC is the control center for the network, interrogating in a predetermined programmed sequence the remote telemetry gages, and printing their transmitted data on paper tape. Procedures for selecting gage and translator sites and obtaining authorization to install network equipment are discussed. A photograph of the automatic Readout Console and a listing of the functions of its various chassis are presented. Brief non-technical discussions related to the installation, operation and maintenance of the system are also included.

Introduction: The Engineering Experiment Station at Utah State University was engaged by the Utah Water and Power Board to make a model analysis of the spillway and stilling basin of the Porcupine Dam. This dam will be located on the East Fork of Litle Bear River, just east of Avon, Utah. It will be approximately 650 feet long and 160 feet high, composed of zones earth fill with rock rip-rap facing. The spillway will have a reinforced concrete inlet section and the remainder of the chute and stilling basin will be excavated out of the rock and leck unlined. The design-flow and the elevation of the spillway crest were both determined by the Water and Power Board. The purpose of the model study was to design an economical spillway that would carry the design-flow with a minimum of head over the crest. Also, studies were made to determine whether or not there were danger of the toe of the dam being undermined by the swirling waters from the stilling basin. Several radically different designs were tested as were a number of variations in each design. Only part of these are detailed in this report. Pictures of the final design are included.