Forecasting and Adapting to Drought: Integrating Federal, State, and Local Perspectives on Drought at the Spring Runoff Conference

In response to an urgent need to connect stakeholders and the public to information about the impacts of the drought in Utah, USU Extension organized the 2022 Spring Runoff Conference. The conference was attended by 135 state and federal agency professionals, local water managers, and USU faculty and students. A majority of participants reported knowledge gain and intentions to adopt water conservation practices

Irrigation Water Quality Sampling Guide

Understanding irrigation water quality is an important part of irrigation water management. Water quality testing begins with identifying constituents for which to test. Proper sample collection is important for characterizing a water source. This fact sheet addresses water sampling, what to sample or test, irrigation equipment concerns, pollutants, and when, where, and how to sample

Evidence of Latitudinal Migration in Tri-colored Bats, Perimyotis subflavus

Background: Annual movements of tri-colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) are poorly understood. While this species has been considered a regional migrant, some evidence suggests that it may undertake annual latitudinal migrations, similar to other long distance North American migratory bat species. Methodology/Principal Findings: We investigated migration in P. subflavus by conducting stable hydrogen isotope analyses of 184 museum specimen fur samples and comparing these results (dDfur) to published interpolated dD values of collection site growing season precipitation (dDprecip). Results suggest that the male molt period occurred between June 23 and October 16 and 33 % of males collected during the presumed non-molt period were south of their location of fur growth. For the same time period, 16 % of females were south of their location of fur growth and in general, had not travelled as far as migratory males. There were strong correlations between dDfur from the presumed molt period and both growing season dD precip (males – r 2 = 0.86; p,0.01; females – r 2 = 0.75; p,0.01), and latitude of collection (males – r 2 = 0.85; p,0.01; females – r 2 = 0.73; p,0.01). Most migrants were collected at the northern (.40uN; males and females) and southern (,35uN; males only) extents of the species ’ range. Conclusions/Significance: These results indicate a different pattern of migration for this species than previously documented, suggesting that some P. subflavus engage in annual latitudinal migrations and that migratory tendency varie

A Survey of New Temperature-Sensitive, Embryonic-Lethal Mutations in C. elegans: 24 Alleles of Thirteen Genes

To study essential maternal gene requirements in the early C. elegans embryo, we have screened for temperature-sensitive, embryonic lethal mutations in an effort to bypass essential zygotic requirements for such genes during larval and adult germline development. With conditional alleles, multiple essential requirements can be examined by shifting at different times from the permissive temperature of 15°C to the restrictive temperature of 26°C. Here we describe 24 conditional mutations that affect 13 different loci and report the identity of the gene mutations responsible for the conditional lethality in 22 of the mutants. All but four are mis-sense mutations, with two mutations affecting splice sites, another creating an in-frame deletion, and one creating a premature stop codon. Almost all of the mis-sense mutations affect residues conserved in orthologs, and thus may be useful for engineering conditional mutations in other organisms. We find that 62% of the mutants display additional phenotypes when shifted to the restrictive temperature as L1 larvae, in addition to causing embryonic lethality after L4 upshifts. Remarkably, we also found that 13 out of the 24 mutations appear to be fast-acting, making them particularly useful for careful dissection of multiple essential requirements. Our findings highlight the value of C. elegans for identifying useful temperature-sensitive mutations in essential genes, and provide new insights into the requirements for some of the affected loci

Looking beyond facility location to evaluate equity in the distribution of green stormwater infrastructure

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) has long been touted as a multi-purpose approach to stormwater management that offers environmental, economic, and social benefits, and many cities across the US are incorporating GSI into stormwater management plans. There is an underlying assumption that the installation of GSI results in benefits to the communities in which they are located, and as a result, it is assumed that the placement of GSI in marginalized communities creates an equitable distribution of green amenities. However, evaluation of the physical distribution of GSI does not capture the site-specific contexts that can lead to variability in the outcomes of and benefits derived from GSI structures. We hypothesize that conditions of GSI ecosystems are variable within and across cities, producing unique outcomes that may differ across individual facilities, and the potential benefits of GSI are conditional on these outcomes. This study examines the distribution of ecosystem services of GSI in neighborhoods with differing sociodemographic characteristics in two US cities. Thirty GSI facilities were surveyed in Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD in 2016. At the time of sampling, we found that ecosystem services serving the watershed (infiltration, nutrient removal) were evenly distributed within and across cities, however, ecosystem services serving the viewshed (aesthetics, ecosystem health) were unevenly distributed, with more visible signs of maintenance and care occurring in wealthier and whiter neighborhoods. Our results suggest that maintenance plans may affect the quality of GSI and play a role in determining equitable distribution of benefits derived from GSI

Variability of Potential Soil Nitrogen Cycling Rates in Stormwater Bioretention Facilities

Low-impact development (LID) is a common management practice used to infiltrate and filter stormwater through vegetated soil systems. The pollutant reduction potential of these systems is often characterized by a single pollutant removal rate; however, the biophysical properties of soils that regulate the removal of pollutants can be highly variable depending on environmental conditions. The goal of this study was to characterize the variability of soil properties and nitrogen (N) cycling rates in bioretention facilities (BRFs). Soil properties and potential N cycling processes were measured in nine curbside bioretention facilities (BRFs) in Portland, OR during summer and winter seasons, and a subset of six sites was sampled seasonally for two consecutive years to further assess temporal variability in soil N cycling. Potential N cycling rates varied markedly across sites, seasons, and years, and higher variability in N cycling rates was observed among sites with high infiltration rates. The observed seasonal and annual changes in soil parameters suggest that nutrient removal processes in BRFs may be highly variable across sites in an urban landscape. This variability has important implications for predicting the impacts of LID on water quality through time, particularly when estimated removal rates are used as a metric to assess compliance with water quality standards that are implemented to protect downstream ecosystems

Optimizing Soil-Amendments for Hydrologic and Water Quality Improvements in Low Impact Development (LID) Systems

Low impact development (LID) systems, such as vegetated filter strips and bioretention cells, are designed to mimic pre-development hydrologic conditions and utilize the biophysical properties of soil to filter pollutants from stormwater runoff. Many LID designs use native soils, however, urban soils are typically degraded and compacted, losing their hydrologic function. Incorporation of locally-sourced soil amendments, such as compost and biochar, into urban soils can improve the physical properties of soil, but the impacts on water quality is less clear as amendments may act as either a sink or a source of pollutants. Most studies have used generalized recommendations for application rates ranging from 25-70% by volume, but higher application rates have not been proven necessary and are likely to export nutrients. A systematic comparison of the effects of different soil-amendments and application rates on water quality have not yet been studied. The objective of this study is to determine the optimal soil amendment for use in LID systems by analyzing the potential effects of sources and application rates on soil properties and water quality. To do this, a column experiment will be used to compare 4 soil amendments (Manure Compost, Mushroom Compost, Green Compost, and Biochar) blended with soil at 0, 5, 10, 25 and 50% by volume. To determine the leaching-potential, synthetic stormwater will be applied under flow-through conditions to simulate applications in various LID designs. The sorption-potential will be determined to evaluate the potential nutrient (NH4+, NO3-, PO4-3) and metal (Pb, Cu, As, Zn) mobility. The results of this study will inform cost-effective soil amendment sources and application rates for use in LID systems

Effects of Water Level Fluctuations on Nutrient Dynamics in a Shallow Lake

Utah is simultaneously the fastest growing and second driest state in the United States. Periods of drought, climate variability, and a rapidly growing population put enormous pressures on waters of the state. Utah Lake, a shallow, hypereutrophic lake, is Utah\u27s largest freshwater lake and is located in a highly urbanized watershed. Lake water levels fluctuate between 3-4 feet each year due to natural and anthropogenic factors, creating the potential for internal nutrient loading from littoral sediments and exacerbating water quality issues. This study investigates the release of carbon and nitrogen into the water column as sediments transition from dry to wet conditions. Carbon and nitrogen fluxes were assessed during dry summer conditions and transitional fall conditions in three field sampling campaigns. Sediment and water samples were analyzed for bioavailable nutrients (PO4-P, NO3N, and NH4-N), sediment surface aquatic metabolism (production), and sediment nitrogen cycling (denitrification, mineralization, nitrification, and microbial biomass C and N). The results of this study will give insight to the influence of microbial activity at the sediment-water interface on mass fluxes, and the potential reactivity of N being loaded into the water column when dry littoral sediments become re-inundated. By quantifying the duration and frequency of wetting and drying on nutrient loading, researchers can gain insight on whether littoral sediments act as nutrient sinks or sources, and how that impacts the overall nutrient budget of the lake. This study will play a critical role in developing restoration and management plans for Utah Lake