The Feasibility of Change-of-Use of Selected State Administered Lands in Utah

Many acres of the state come under the jurisdiction of the State Government and are managed by the appropriate department of state government. The Division of State Lands, Department of Natural Resources of the State of Utah is responsible for the management of much of the state owned land. The Division of State Lands leases the lands to various users. Revenues from the leases are used for the support of state administered program such as education. The Division of State Lands desires to manage these lands as efficiently as possible and maximize the rents and thus increase the revenues available for the appropriate programs. The lands are classified according to their use or potential use such as mining lands, grazing lands, agricultural lands, or rangelands. The rent received varies according to the use. Since grazing land or rangeland has a low return, it would be desireable to change the use to one of the other or higher classificiations. However, before a use can be changed, the tract must be upgraded or provided the characteristics of the tracts being classified for the other use

Model Analysis of Spillway and Stilling Basin of Porcupine Dam

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

Water and Land Use Planning for Some State Lands Near Moab, Utah

In an attempt to apply better management principles to the control of state lands, the Division of State Lands asked for the study of two questions concerning state administered lands near Moab, Utah. The first question deals with the Moab and Spanish Valleys while the second question applies to Castle Valley some 10 miles northeast of Moab. The Mill Creek Development Project is proposed to provide additional water for agriculture and M & I use in the Moab and Spanish Valleys. The question for consideration is, How much water from the Mill Creek Development Project Reservoir should the Division of State Lands request or subscribe to from the Grand County Conservancy District? The second question, dealing with Castle Valley, is, What should be done with the well that the Division has drilled in Castle Valley? The objective of this phase of the study is to suggest some alternatives and give recommendations related to these two questions

Management of the Hydrologic System in Areas Subject to Coal Mining Activities

Publicity given to the detrimental effects of mining activities on the environment has tended to overshadow somewhat the hydrologic opportunities and benfits that could be associated with these activities. For example, many areas disturbed by surface mining have proved to be excellent recharge areas for groundwater aquifers. The degree to which mine sites can be exploited to improve management of the hydrologic system depends on both the local geology and the mining techniques used. The report examines the effects of present mining activities on the associated hydrology system, and identifies specific mining procedures and management techniques which not only minimize negative hydrologic impacts of mining operations, but which also enhance the values of the hydrologic system in terms of existing and potential social uses. Thus, the results of the research contribute to the solution of present and future hydrologic problems (both quanitty and quality) associated with coal mining in the western U.S. Emphasis is placed on sites which are representative of both existing and future coal mining areas. The specific objectives of the study are to: 1. Evaluate the potential for using underground coal mines to: a. Tap previously inaccessible groundwater supplies. b. Reduce the salt load to the Colorado River by decreasing the contact of groundwater with salt-bearing geologic formations. c. Store water in abondoned mines. 2. Consider the potential effects of underground coal mines on water resources. 3. Evaluate the potential of using surface mined areas to collect surface runoffs and thus: a. Reduce the sediment loads to the Colorado River. b. Enhance water storage in the basin. Each of the preceding objectives is addressed and discussed by the report in terms of actual coal mines in central Utah. The study suggests not only ways of reducing negative hydrologic impacts of mining operations, but also operational and management mining techniques which will enhance the social use value of the hydrologic systems, and thus, in fact, create hydrologic opportunities

Simulation of the Hydrologic-Economic Flow System in an Agricultural Area

Like the allocation of water resources among water users, the distribution of allocated water to the subusers requires an estimate of the economic costs and benefits from a number of distribution alternatives. The most satisfactory solution maximizes the benefit cost ratio. This study is based on the premise that equitable water distribution to agricultural subusers can be more easily accomplished through the use of a technique to predict the marginal value of agricultural water. A hydro-economic model is formulated to distribute the water supply to the crops and to determine the unit value of water for the given supply. By incrementing the supply, the marginal value of water for a given cropping pattern is determined. Water is in short supply if the potential evapotranspiration of all the crops can not be satisfied. The link between the economic and hydrologic system is the production function which is the relationship between the actual evapotranspiration and the yield of the crop. Other variables affecting crop production are assumed to be relatively constant. The simulation model is applied to a prototype system to demonstrate the applicability of the model to management and planning problems. The model provides a means of determining the marginal value of water in water short years where potential evapotranspiration of all crops can not be met

Proposal to Technology Transfer Office of Water Research and Technology U.S. Department of Interior

Executive Summary

Appraisal, Agency and Atypicality: Evidence from Manufactured Homes

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73056/1/j.1540-6229.2005.00128.x.pd

Acetate Kinase Isozymes Confer Robustness in Acetate Metabolism

Acetate kinase (ACK) (EC no: 2.7.2.1) interconverts acetyl-phosphate and acetate to either catabolize or synthesize acetyl-CoA dependent on the metabolic requirement. Among all ACK entries available in UniProt, we found that around 45% are multiple ACKs in some organisms including more than 300 species but surprisingly, little work has been done to clarify whether this has any significance. In an attempt to gain further insight we have studied the two ACKs (AckA1, AckA2) encoded by two neighboring genes conserved in Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis) by analyzing protein sequences, characterizing transcription structure, determining enzyme characteristics and effect on growth physiology. The results show that the two ACKs are most likely individually transcribed. AckA1 has a much higher turnover number and AckA2 has a much higher affinity for acetate in vitro. Consistently, growth experiments of mutant strains reveal that AckA1 has a higher capacity for acetate production which allows faster growth in an environment with high acetate concentration. Meanwhile, AckA2 is important for fast acetate-dependent growth at low concentration of acetate. The results demonstrate that the two ACKs have complementary physiological roles in L. lactis to maintain a robust acetate metabolism for fast growth at different extracellular acetate concentrations. The existence of ACK isozymes may reflect a common evolutionary strategy in bacteria in an environment with varying concentrations of acetate