S&T Program R&D3 Output Area Summary Science
and Technology Program
FY 2003 Project Summary
|
Infrastructure Reliability & Safety for Water and Power (IR) |
Decision Support (DS) |
|
Water Delivery (WD) |
Water Supply (WS) |
| Title | Associated Research Question(s) Being Pursued |
S&T Fund Source |
Principal Investigator and email | Phone |
| Infrastructure Reliability & Safety for Water and Power (IR) | ||||
| IR1 - Develop And Improve Methods To Assess The Condition Of Our Structures And Facilities ^^menu^^ | ||||
| Finding Innovative Approaches to Address Deterioation Issues Associated with Reclamation's Infrastructure | Can we develop improved methods to determine the causes, mechanisms, and predicted progression of the most significant deterioration problems associated with Reclamation's infrastructure? Can measures be implemented to slow deterioration and/or make more informed decisions on expected remaining life? | BOR | Kepler <wkepler@do.usbr.gov> | 303-445-2386 |
| Finding Defects in Reclamation's Concrete, Steel, and Geotechnical Infrastructure Before Costly Problems Occur | What's the best condition assessment technology available to more reliably and cost effectively evaluate the condition of Reclamation's infrastructure? With an aging infrastructure, improved condition assessment and diagnostic capabilities can detect defects early which allows preventative actions to be planned before failures occur, or before costly repairs/replacements become necessary. Repairs and failures also cause lost water deliveries. Where are the most signicant gaps in technology and capability relevant to assesing the condition of Reclamation's concrete, steel, and geotechnical infrastructure? How do we best close these gaps? | BOR |
<tjohnson@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2383 |
| IR-2 Develop And Improve Methods And Materials To Reduce Deterioration And To Improve Facility Repair And Maintenance Capability^^menu^^ | ||||
| Developing Advanced Construction Materials to Improve, Repair, and Maintain Reclamation Structures. | Are there better materials and construction methods that will help Reclamation improve, maintain, and repair our deteriorating structures? | BOR |
<kvonfay@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2399 |
| Modern Methods and Materials to Seal Small Leaks and Cracks in Concrete | Can we develop or prove effective methods to seal cracked concrete and prevent water induced deterioration? Demonstrations will be conducted at Pueblo Dam. | BOR |
<kvonfay@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2399 |
| Determining Life Cycle Costs of Rural Pipeline Materials | Can we reduce long-term costs of rural water systems by determining the life-cycle costs of various pipeline systems? | GP |
<thall@gp.usbr.gov> |
605-945-2980 |
| Improving Corrosion Mitigation for Reclamation Structures | How does corrosion affect Reclamation structures? How can corrosion of Reclamation structures be reduced? This project will pursue the recommendations made in a 2002 congressionaly mandated report on corrosion prevention strategies as they apply to Reclamation's infrastructure. | BOR |
<tjohnson@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2383 |
| Improving Cathodic Protection for Pipelines | Can automated cathodic protection controllers be improved so that they provide reliable protection to our piplines? Reclamation piplines commonly share easments with power lines that advesrely impact cathodic protection controllers. | BOR |
<tjohnson@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2383 |
| Innovative Solutions to Reclamation Spillway and Water Conveyance Structure Problems and Inadequacies | How can Reclamation determine the needs of our aging hydraulic structures and most innovatively and cost effectively provide solutions to improve capabilities to meet the water supply, storage, power and safety requirements of our facilities? | BOR |
<kfrizell@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2144 |
| Deflectors for Preventing Damage and Valuable Downtime for Stilling Basin Repair | Can we reduce interruptions in water delivery by developing a generalized flow deflector design that will minimize the time consuming and costly repairs of energy dissipation basins located at dam outlets? | BOR,PN |
<lhanna@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2146 |
| Innovative Solutions to Improve Water Delivery: Development and Demonstration of a Newly Patented Outlet Flow-Control Valve | Can Reclamation provide improved reliability, low cost, low maintenance solutions for water deliveries under both free and submerged discharge conditions? | BOR |
<jkubitschek@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2148 |
| New Methods to Determine Energy in FreeJets Discharged from Outlet Works and Spillways: Jet Stability Techniques | Can we minimize or prevent erosion damage and potential water delivery interruptions by understanding how aeration can influence the erosive force of water jets? | BOR |
<jkubitschek@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2148 |
| IR-3 No longer exists | ||||
| IR-4 Reduce Public And Employee Safety Risks Due To The Operations Of Our Facilities ^^menu^^ | ||||
| Evaluation of Fast Curing Coatings for Use on Reclamation Structures | Are fast-cure coatings as affective as conventional coatings in preventing corrosion? Fast-cure coatings have little or no volatile organic compounds compared to conventional coatings, which lowers carcinogenic and respiratory health risks as well as reduces combustion potential during application. | BOR |
<tbortak@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2376 |
| Evaluating Safety Parameters of Difficult Access Inspection Equipment | How well does rope-access equipment currently used by USBR personnel perform in actual field configurations? How much strength do anchor slings maintain compared to their rated strengths, when used around structural steel members or other irregular surfaces? How well do backup devices perform when a significant length (weight) of rope supplies a surcharge below the worker? | BOR |
<sbeason@do.usbr.gov> |
702-295-4088 |
| IR-5 Reduce Powerplant Losses, Increase Power Generation Efficiencies, And Improve Powerplant Operations^^menu^^ | ||||
| High Voltage Ramp DC Test Set | Technology transfer to improve generator reliabiltity. | BOR |
<patwater@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2304 |
| Generator Rotor Turning Gear | Enabling Reclamation to comply with OSHA safety requirements | BOR |
<rcline@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2293 |
| Power System Stability Enhancement Research | Avoiding billion-dollar regional blackouts as Reclamation is the electric power stabililty linchpin in the Western United States power grid. | BOR |
<jagee@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2309 |
| Power System Diagnostics | Research to enhance power supply availability and reduce O&M costs, and thereby reduce energy replacement costs due to unscheduled outages. | BOR |
<patwater@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2304 |
| Optimization Research | To achieve increased energy production under existing water and environmental constraints. | BOR,LC |
<sstitt@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2136 |
| Electric Power Production Enhancement of (Ancillary) Energy Services | Optimization of various parameters and associated constraints. | BOR |
<sstitt@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2136 |
| High Voltage Generation Research | Evaluate the efficiency and reliability of the new and unique high-voltage generator (PowerformerTM) to be installed at Folsom Powerplant (a first in the US) | BOR |
<lrux@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2307 |
| 'Hydro Plant Condtion Monitoring Research | The first step to reducing Reclamation's biggest cost--O&M and preventing requirement in-service failure. | BOR |
<jdehaan@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2305 |
| Generator Insulation Research | Improve generator availability and reduce in-service insulation failures (a weak link) and associated damage and lost revenues. | BOR |
<eeastment@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2324 |
| Doubly Fed Machine Technology Research | An investigation into improving power generating efficiency over that of conventional hydro generation. | BOR |
<blonnecker@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2817 |
| Generator Insulation Fault Detection Research | Develop methods to quickly locate generator insulation failures and significantly reduce outage times, thereby reducing lost revenues. | BOR |
<patwater@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2304 |
| Power Plant Air Quality | MP |
<jsmith@mp.usbr.gov> |
916-978-5577 | |
| Water Delivery (WD) | ||||
| WD-1 Preventing Water Delivery Interuptions by Improving Passage and Reducing Entrainment of Aquatic Species at Reclamation Facilities^^menu^^ | ||||
| Quantification of Fish Entrainment at Water Diversions to Develop Fish Protection Systems and Maintain Water Deliveries | How many and what species of fish are being entrained at Reclamation facilities? With the knowledge of fish entrainment, what techniques can be used or developed to reduce the fish entrainment? Is the entrainment reduction technique selected effectively performing and not interfering with water delivery? | BOR |
<shiebert@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2206 |
| Insuring Water Delivery Through Effective Fish Counting | Can light curtains be used to more effectively count fish? Can more accurate counts increase the reliability of water deliveries? | BOR |
<mbowen@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2222 |
| Overflow Screens for Efficient Water Delivery | Can the advantages of horizontal flat-plate and Coanda-effect screen concepts (already demonstrated in laboratory tests) be realized in real-world applications? This project is documenting the performance of actual installations and developing design guidance for future debris-screening and fish-screening applications of these technologies. This work will be especially useful to projects converting to more efficient water delivery methods that require cleaner water, such as sprinkler irrigation. | BOR |
<kfrizell@do.usbr.gov/ |
303-445-2144 |
| Evaluation of Fry and Juvenile Fish Survival in Spillways and Drop Structures | Do in-river diversion structures provide safe downstream passage for young fish? Do some structure designs provide less injury and mortality to young fish than others? | BOR |
<bmefford@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2149 |
| Evaluation of Stobe Lights as a Means of Reducing Fish Entrainment at Dams and Diversions | Are underwater stobe lights effective behavioral barriers and are there conditions that limit the effectiveness of the strobe lights as a fish entrainment reduction technique? Are there undesireable physiological effects on fish eyes or sensory systems from exposure to high intensity strobe lights? | PN |
<shiebert@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2206 |
| Design of Diversion Dam Fish Passage Structures for Native Species | Can we design fish passage structures that are easy for irrigation districts to construct that provide passage for native non-game fish species? | BOR |
<bmefford@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2149 |
| Design of Low Maintenance Water Diversion Fish Screens | Can stationary fish protection screens be developed that are self-cleaning? | BOR |
<bmefford@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2149 |
| Hydraulic Methods for Fish Screen Debris Removal | Can hydraullic methods for removing debris from fish screens be developed so that water delivery to waterways providing fish screen protection, will be uninterrupted by other cleaning methods? | BOR |
<lhanna@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2146 |
| Low-Cost Water Diversion Structures | Can the embedded pipe-screen diversion concept (successfully demonstrated by the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife at several small diversions) be successfully applied in a variety of flow regimes on scales varying from small to large? Advantages of this diversion concept include efficient water diversion, reduced cleaning maintenance, enhanced debris and fish exclusion, low public visibility, and low capital cost. | BOR |
<twahl@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2155 |
| Infiltration Galleries | Can we develop infiltration galleries that dependably and economically divert water without obstructing migration of fish along the river? | BOR |
<rtekrony@do.usbr.gov, jcunningham@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2510 |
| Water Measurement Structures That Allow Fish Passage | Can Reclamation meet water conservation and water measurement goals while enhancing fish passage, thus ensuring water delivery? | BOR |
<kfrizell@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2144 |
| WD-2 Finding Innovative Means to Address Ecosystem Needs without Impacting Water Deliveries ^^menu^^ | ||||
| Conserving Pollinators of Sensitive Plants | How can pollinators be conserved to ensure survival of sensitive plants affected by Reclamation projects? | LC |
<wwiesenborn@lc.usbr.gov> |
702-293-8699 |
| Determine Reclamation Operations that Deliver Water and Maintain Fish Habitat. | How can water deliveries coexist with the species' needs? How do BOR operations affect the fish habitat? | BOR |
<ckarp@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2226 |
| Avoiding Listing of Spring Chinook: Determine Reclamation Operations That Can Provide Water and Maintain Spring Chinook | What Reclamation operations affect the hyporheic zone and chinook egg survival? How can we make water deliveries more reliable and maintain spring chinook? | BOR |
<mbowen@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2222 |
| Providing Water Through Effective Fish Screens | How can we better separate fish from irrigation water diversions? | BOR |
<shiebert@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2206 |
| Quantification of Bull Trout and Food Web Interactions and Relationship to Reclamation Reservoir Operation | Is there enough baseline data collected to determine bull trout populations, food habits and any relationship to operations, and if not, what further data should be collected to understand bull trout interactions? If there are detrimental effects to the bull trout at Rimrock Reservoir, WA, are there operations that can enhance the fishery and maintain the water delivery? | BOR |
<shiebert@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2206 |
| Effects of Increasing Water Delivery to the Wapatox Reach, Naches River(WA) | How does increased water delivery to the Wapatox Reach affect steelhead? Can flow alteration provide for water deliveries and steelhead habitat improvement? | BOR |
<mbowen@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2222 |
| Contributions to Delisting Steelhead: Accurate Count of Steelhead | How can spawner surveys be used to more effectively count fish? Can accurate counts increase the reliability of water delivers? How do flows affect where steehead spawn? | MP |
<jhannon@mp.usbr.gov> |
916-978-5524 |
| Preventing Conflicts Between Water Deliveries and Kit Fox Breeding Habitat | Can artificial dens enhance kit fox breeding habitat which has been potentially decreased by the CVP? | MP |
<rfaubion@mp.usbr.gov> |
559-487-5138 |
| Determining Desirable Habitat of Aquatic Birds in Great Plains | Can reservoir and river operations help minimize conflicts between water deliveries and aquatic birds? | GP |
<mirlbeck@gp.usbr.gov> |
512-916-5650 |
| Contributions to Delisting Rio Grande Silvery Minnow: Egg Habitat Identification | What Reclamation operations affect minnow egg habitat? How can we make water deliveries more reliable and recover Rio Grande silvery minnow? Can Reclamation create habitat where it maximizes species benefits and minimizes water use to meet obligations to a variety of stakeholders? | UC |
<mporter@uc.usbr.gov> |
505-248-5907 |
| Relationship of the Endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher to Habitat, River Flows, and Groundwater in Relation to Parasitization and Livestock Grazing | Understanding the habitat requirements and populations of the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher in relation to water needs, interspecies competition, and cattle grazing can help managers make sound decisions. Can this information guide water project managers in maximizing benefits and mimimizing water use to meet obligations to a variety of stakeholders? | BOR |
<dahlers@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2233 |
| Economic Values of Wildlife Habitat Resulting from Water Delivery Systems | The economic value of wildlife habitat is often difficult to determine although of high interest to water project managers. How does water delivery enhance wildlife habitats? What economic information would be helpful to managers when making decisions, especially in developing biological opinions, biological assessments, and environmental impact statements? Is this information useful on a larger scale in estimating costs and values of various management or construction options? | BOR |
<eekstrand@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2731 |
| Valuing Ecosystems as Part of Water Delivery Systems | Managers of public resources, such as Reclamation water deliviery projects, would benefit by having knowledge of economic values for objectively guiding decision making. How can enhancements be made in the ability to estimate economic values resulting from water delivery systems? What issues are important along with economic parameters related to management of integrated ecosystems? | BOR |
<eekstrand@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2731 |
| Status of Repatriated Endangered Razorback Suckers in Lake Havasu | Reclamation, in cooperation with other state and Federal agencies has been augmenting the population of the endangered razorback sucker in the Colorado River between Davis and Parker Dams. This project will determine the population size, survival rates, distribution, and habitat use by these fish based on several different stocking approaches. What are the important parameters which can be used in water project operations for water delivery without impacting populations of this endangered species? | LC |
<rwydoski@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2207 |
| Developing Low-cost, Effective Methods for Evaluating Aquatic Ecosystems | Water project operations can cause substantial positive or negative changes in aquatic ecosystems. Rapid, low-cost methods and bioassessment techniques must be developed to both detect changes and to help determine appropriate water project operation and water release patterns. What are the impacts of operations and what type of bioassessment information can be used to support environmental needs as well as assist project managers by reducing conflicts related to environmental needs and multiple project uses? Can additional water supplies be realized as water releases are often over-allocated due to uncertainty? | BOR |
<msnelson@do.usbr.gov; rroline@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2225 303-445-2213 |
| Low-Cost Techniques for Reducing Gas Supersaturation Below Dams | Discharges through dams and spillways can cause high levels of dissolved gases to be entrained in the water and can cause disease and death in fish downstream. Modifying the dam can be expensive and may be only partially successful. Can the use of air microbubble generation at key locations along the river system and at certain times of the year neutralize gas supersaturation and eliminate the associated environmental problems? | BOR |
Murph/Boutwell/Wahl
<amurphy@do.usbr.gov;jboutwell@do.usbr.gov; twahl@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2259-303-445-2224-303-445-2155 |
| Nitrogen Supersaturation Levels Below Ridgway Reservoir, CO,..Causes and Remedies | What tests can be performed to determine a relationship between Ridgway discharge and nitrogen supersaturation levels below the outlet works? What levels of nitrogen supersaturation are observed in the downstream fishery? What effective engineering techniques can be used to reduce the effects of nitrogen supersaturation on the downstream fishery? | UC |
<gstone@uc.usbr.gov> |
970-248-0675 |
| Enhancing Riparian Vegetation by Rescheduling and Expediting Water Deliveries | Can existing vadose, hyphoreic, and other models be integrated to help Reclamation operate Central Valley and other projects on a daily schedule that will increase germination and growth of riparian vegetation? | BOR |
<mtansey@mp.usbr.gov> |
916-978-5197 |
| Ecologically Based System Management (EBSM) -Snake River, Menan to American Falls Reservoir in Eastern Idaho / Boise River below Lucky Peak Dam, Ada County, Idaho | Is it possible to determine the hydrologic regimes needed to maintain a properly functioning ecosystem within the constraints of state water law and contractual obligations? | BOR,PN |
<cjansen@pn.usbr.gov, dbauman@pn.usbr.gov> |
208-378-5319 |
| WD-3 Improving Techniques to Manage Aquatic and Riparian Invasive Species that Consume or Clog Water Deliveries^^menu^^ | ||||
| Cost Effective Herbicide Application Methods in Water Delivery Systems | How can herbicides be made compatible with the Clean Water Act in irrigation systems? Can methods to deliver low rates of herbicides be developed and effectively control weeds in irrigation canals? How can we apply low herbicide rates effectively to fluctuating water flows? What are the optimal rates and herbicides needed for Salvinia molesta control in western irrigation systems? | BOR,LC |
<dsisneros@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2228 |
| Development of Saltcedar Biocontrol Methods for Water Supply Recovery and Protection.. Including a Demonstration on the Arkansas River | Can saltcedar (tamarisk) be effectively controlled by insects in water delivery systems, how many insects are needed, how can they best be produced and distributed, and how fast will the insects spread? What are the environmental and facility operational criteria for beetles to effectively control saltcedar trees? Will this biological control activity affect other plants, wildlife, and endangered species? | BOR |
<deberts@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2217 |
| Geographic Deployment of Saltcedar Biocontrol Methods for Water Supply Restoration | What are the geographic ranges of efficacy for various beetle strains? How do differences in geographic locations and climates affect reproductive capability and life cycle of insects? How does spatial distribution of saltcedar impact insect effectiveness within a water delivery system? | BOR |
<deberts@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2217 |
| Ensuring Continuation of Water Deliveries Through Biocontrol of Purple Loosestrife | Can biological control insects control purple loosestrife for extended periods of time? Can we effectively restore the voids in vegetation left by purple loosestrife biocontrol to prevent invasion by other noxious weeds? What are the procedures for establishment of purple loosestrife biocontrol insects, and how fast will the insects spread? | BOR |
<deberts@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2217 |
| Preventing Blockage of Water Delivery Channels Through Integrated Control Methods of Aquatic Weeds | What are the best integrated management options for controlling aquatic weeds that block water delivery and irrigation systems? Can biological control methods be effectively used for hydrilla and waterhyacinth in flowing systems? Can biological control be an effective way to control giant salvinia in western irrigation and water delivery systems? Can grass carp be effectively used as an alternative to herbicides in environmentally sensitive, western water delivery systems? | BOR |
<fnibling@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2202 |
| Cost-effective System for Detecting, Mapping and Controlling Invasive Species in Water Districts. | Can a cost effective system for invasive species detection, mapping, and control be developed for water districts? Can this system be used as a decision-making tool to plan and evaluate pest management activities? | UC |
<swynn@do.usbr.gov> |
303-445-2216 |
| Determing the Value of Saltcedar fpr Endangered Species' Food Supplies and Riparian Mitigation | What is the food source value of native insects found in saltcedar for endangered species? Can this information be used in mitigation for Reclamation management activities? | LC | Wiesenborn | 702-293-8699 |
| Stabilization of Water Facility Lands Following Removal of Saltcedar.Includes a Demonstration on the Rio Grande River | What are the best methods for stabilizing water facility lands following saltcedar removal? Which plants are best for preventing reinvasion of weeds, erosion, and sedimentation under Reclamation's unique climatic and operational conditions? | BOR | Lair | 303-445-2005 |
| Restoration of Native Vegetation for Endangered Species Mitigation Following Saltcedar Removal from Water System Riparian Areas | Can we develop revegetation methods to reduce conflicts with endangered species with endangered species issues following saltcedar removal? Can desirable native vegetation (cottonwoods and willows) be reestablished as mitigation for endangered species in sites previously occupied by saltcedar? | BOR | Wynn | 303-445-2216 |
| WD-4 Develop and Improve Tools, Models, and Methods for Managing Water Quality Issues that Impact Reclamation Water Deliveries^^menu^^ | ||||
| Use of Natural, Passive Technologies in Water Treatment | Passive treatment technologies using biogeochemical processes associated with wetland systems are being evaluated to determine if they can be effectivley used in situations where conventional water supply and treatment processes are not practical or cost effective. Can water management be improved for irrigation return flows, water supply and wastewater discharges from small communities, and can these treatment techniques result in less costly processing for local water utilities and provide opportunities to expand supplies through water reuse? Can this technology be adapted to accommodate the planning of water management strategies under various hydrologic and climatic conditions ranging from the Klamath Basin and irrigation projects in the northwestern U.S. to the Imperial Irrigation District, Navajo Tribal lands, and along the Colorado River near the cities of Las Vegas and Henderson, NV in the arid southwest? | BOR | Roline/Stiles | 303-445-2213 303-445-2458 |
| Evaluating Leaching Equations to Improve Irrigation Efficiency and Reduce Salinity | Leaching requirement equations will be tested on a wide variety of soils and drainage conditions to improve tools for irrigation and salinity management. Can these equations be used to stretch and enhance existing water supplies without reducing crop production? | BOR | Brummer | 303-445-2457 |
| Understanding Fate and Transport of Selenium and Related Elements in Irrigated Fields to Reduce Contamination of Discharge Waters From Reclamation Projects | Selenium concentrations and loading in irrigation return flows is a major contaminant and environmental problem in several areas of the arid west and can impact agriculture and Reclamation operations. Can improvements in soil/water selenium estimate procedures help minimize selenium loading by reducing the deep groundwater percolation from water deliveries? This scoping level study is in partnership with NRCS and other land use and watre managers. | BOR | Fahy/Brummer | 303-445-2188 303-445-2457 |
| Improving the Quality of Irrigation Drainage Water Being Used to Support a Wildlife Refuge | Water delivered through Reclamation projects of is often used to irrigate lands such as those within the Westside Improvement District. Throughout Reclamation, runoff from fields and agriculture return drains contain high levels of nutrients and other agricultural chemicals and these drainage waters are often subsequently used for additional purposes. If waters are impaired with these contaminants, they can threaten Reclamation projects in the ability to sustain water deliveries. Using a constructed treatment system, can we demonstrate the effectiveness in providing water quality improvement benefits to irrigators, to the local environment, and to related waterfowl and wildlife such as that on the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge.? This work is being done in cooperation between Reclamation's S&T Program and the MP Region, USFWS, and local landowners. In addition to providing new scientific information, this effort demonstrates the value and efficiency of cooperation between Federal and local entities. | MP | Baker | 541-883-6935 |
| Identifying Perchlorate Levels in Lake Mead and its Impact on Water Supplies for Domestic, Industrial, and Agricultural Uses | Ammonium perchlorate, an inorganic chemical used as a component of solid rocket propellant, is often found near military and industrial facilities and can impact the environment and human health. The Colorado River is the drinking water source for approximately 25 million people and contains levels of perchlorate in excess of proposed EPA recommended levels. What toxicological information must be identified to determine the severity of this problem and the potential impacts on Reclamation water users? | BOR | Kelly | 303-445-2017 |
| Great PlainsRegion Reservoir Research - Examining Problems Associated w/ Land Use Abuse | Reclamation has little ability or authority to protect water quality in our reservoirs from land use activities that contribute pesticides, acid mine drainage, selenium, PCB's, etc. These studies will examine the effects of these pollutants on our operations and associated impacts on species that could impact Reclamation water deliveries. | GP | Williams | 406-247-7719 |
| Angustora Reservoir: Developing a Turbidity Model, Documenting & Examining the Nasties | What is the source of turbidity: phytoplankton, suspended solids, or detritus? | GP | Williams | 406-247-7719 |
| Turquoise Reservoir effects on Acid Mine Drainage from Dinero Tunnel, Lake County, CO | Is there a connection between Turquoise Reservoir & Dinero Tunnel? Does the elevation of Turquoise Reservoir affect the quantity or quality of drainage from Dinero Tunnel? | GP | Williams | 406-247-7719 |
| Pesticides in Lake Altus, W.C. Austin Project, OK | What common pesticides are present in Reclamation's Lake Altus and what are the potential impacts to Reclamation project water deliveries? | GP | Williams | 406-247-7719 |
| Developing Improved Selective Withdrawal Options for Hydropower Releases at Folsom Dam | How does Reclamation meet release water quality requirements while maintaining hydropower generating capacity and water deliveries? | MP | Vermeyen | 303-445-2154 |
| Folsom Dam Penstock Shutter Evaluation to Achieve Both Environmental Objectives and Maximum Power Generation | Management of the cold water in Folsom Lake is critical in meeting water temperatures necessary in the Lower American River for endangered species recovery programs. How can we achieve temperature objectives without a reduction in power generation and lost revenues which could result because of mandates to release water from lower level outlets? | MP | Vermeyen | 303-445-2154 |
| Developing Water Quality Enhancement Techniques for Hydropower Releases | How does Reclamation meet release water quality requirements while maintaining hydropower generating capacity and water deliveries? | BOR | Vermeyen | 303-445-2154 |
| Performance Characteristics of Selective Withdrawl Structures to Validate Value Engineering Studies and Improve Feasiblity Design | How effective are selective withdrawl structures? Value engineering studies for proposed selective withdrawl structures at Glen Canyon and Folsom Dams revealed that hydraulic performance characteristics for existing Reclamation selective withdrawl structures are very limited. To date, over $100 million has been spent on adding selective withdrawl capability to Reclamation dams to improve releases. However, few resources have been expended toward evaluation of these structures after they were put into service. A more complete evaluation could result in substantial cost savings in future designs and operation. | BOR | Vermeyen | 303-445-2154 |
| Use of a Dissolved Oxygen Risk Assessment Model to Determine the Relationship between Eutrohpication and Lake Levels in Klamath Lake, Oregon | Populations of the Federally listed endangered Lost River and Shortnose suckers are endemic to Klamath Lake, Oregon, and are subject to periodic catastrophic and localized mortality caused by adverse environmental and water quality conditions. Can the dissolved oxygen risk assessment model be used to help determine the feasibility of water level management and offer additional guidance for reservoir operations in support of environmental, fishery, and agricultural benefits? | BOR | Lieberman/Buettner | 303-445-2223 541-880-2574 |
| Evaluating Salinity Trends at Salinity Control Projects | Salinity can have a major impact on beneficial uses of water as well as on crop production. During periods of drought, these negative impacts are magnified. What are the present trends and how do we determine the needs for controlling salinity in river and reservoir systems as well as evaluate the effectiveness of salinity control projects that are in place and being operated? | UC | Trueman | 801-524-3759 |
| Benefits and Costs of On-Farm Salinity Control Measures Using Integrated Modeling | What are the economic costs and benefits of implementing on-farm salinity control measures? Using an optimization model, can the "best" mix of capital, equipment, and physical resources be identified that will provide the highest net returns to farmers? Can the optimization model identify thresholds where farmers might undertake changes to their current mix of resources to better manage the effects of salinity? | BOR | Davis | 303-445-2730 |
| Evaluating Effects of Operations to Avoid Adverse Impacts on Downstream Water Deliveries | Identifying potential downstream water quality problems linked to reservoir operations that may impact future water deliveries or increase delivery costs are important to Reclamation water managers. What are the potential problems that can result in costly mitigation and how can we assist water project managers in modifying operations in order to minimize impacts? | BOR | Horn | 303-445-2203 |
| Evaluating the Benefits and Risks of Retiring Drainage Impacted Lands in the Western San Joaquin Valley (CA). | Extensive irrigated land areas are currently being retired by Reclamation, the Westlands Water District, and others in the CVP as a result of declining land productivity associated with shallow groundwater and excess salinity. What are the best management practices for this idled land? Will retirement of these lands provide tangible wildlife habitat and water supply benefits? | MP | Lee | 559-487-5286 |
| Identify Causes and Management Options for Nutrient Loading in Lake Mead to Protect the Source of Water for 25,000,000 Users in Las Vegas and Points Downstream | Treated wastewater from several wastewater treatment plants in the Las Vegas Valley enter Lake Mead upstream of the Southern Nevada Water Authority drinking water treatment facility. These inflows carry nutrients as well as several other potentially harmful chemicals into Lake Mead and near the SNWA water intakes. What are the conditions related to these inflows so that management options can be recognized and modified for reducing treatment costs and protecting the quality of this drinking water source? This work is collaboration with Reclamation, local, and state water managers | BOR | Holdren | 303-445-2178 |
| WD-5 Develop & Improve Sediment Management and Restoration Practices to Sustain the Vitality of Reservoirs and Associated River Systems^^menu^^ | ||||
| Develop and Evaluate New Photogrammetric and Image Processing Techniques to Aid in Automation of River System Changes | Can Reclamation determine recent and long-term changes to river systems using automated stereo image correlation and expert feature extraction of multi-date photography? Can these techniques be effective in quantifying current and historical sediment transport conditions? | BOR | Miller | 303-445-2279 |
| Large Woody Debris Structure in River Channels | Can Reclamation manage large woody debris structures in pacific northwest stream for the purpose of creating and maintaining salmonid habitat? | BOR | Randle | 303-445-2557 |
| Cost-effective Sediment Management Downstream of Water Supply Projects | Is it possible to manage tributary sediment in mainstem rivers downstream of Reclamation projects through hydraulic rather than mechanical means? Will this dramatically reduce the cost and increase the efficieny of sediment management in Reclamation influenced river systems? | BOR | Wittler | 303-445-2156 |
| Developing a Rapid Investigation of Stream Condition and Stability (RISUS) Tool to Prevent Project Operation and Downstream Water Supply Conflicts Through Early Intervention and Efficient River Management | Can water conflicts like Klamath be prevented by early detection techniques that can better inform river managers and allow them to take intervention actions? Can similar conflicts on the Platte, Trinity, and San Joaquin Rivers be avoided through early, informed decision making? Will early intervention, education, and efficient river management significantly reduce costs and delays associated with water conflicts? Do these preventative measures assure uninterrupted water storage and delivery? | BOR | Levish | 303-445-3175 |
| Federal Interagency Sediment Sampling and Analysis Solutions | How can the efficiency and accuracy of sediment sampling and analysis equipment and techniques be improved to provide more cost-effective and continuous data for Reclamation managers to use in project management decisions? | BOR | Young | 303-445-2561 |
| Developing Reservoir Sediment Management Strategies | How can Reclamation sustain reservoir capacity and sustain habitats downstream of dams through sediment modelling and management methods? | BOR | Greimann | 303-445-2563 |
| Prediction of Sediment Delivery to River Systems | Can Reclamation model watershed erosion and sedimentation with the goal of reducing the impacts of watershed erosion to Reclamation facilities? This work is a scoping level study in collaboration with the EPA to pursue partnerships with BLM and USDA (Forest Service, NRCS, and ARS). | BOR | Yang/Greimann | 303-445-2563 |
| Water Supply (WS) | ||||
| WS-1 Develop and Improve Models and Methods to Optimize Groundwater Storage and Use^^menu^^ | ||||
| San Xavier District Recharge Water Quality Study Using CAP Water to Improve Water Supply Reliability | Will water quality react in the vadose zone to either dissolve or precipitate chemicals during groundwater recharge? | BOR, LC | Eggleston | 303-445-2464 |
| Evaluating the Leaching Requirements and Salt Balance in the Arkansas River Valley of Colorado | Can a better understanding of salt leaching requirements contribute to sustained agricultural productivity while reducing salinity impacts to the riversystem? This study is part of a Arkansas River system-wide research project involving the state, CSU, NRCS, and Reclamation's Water Conservation Field Services Program. | BOR | Burnett | 303-445-2508 |
| WS-2 Develop and Improve Cost Effective Desalination and Other Water Purification Technologies to Expand Water Supplies^^menu^^ | ||||
| Selenium Remediation Using Hybrid Chemical & Membrane Processes for the Central Valley Project | Can Selenium be removed economically from irrigation return flows in the San Joaquin Valley through biological treatment and/or chemical precipitation combined with desalting to recover water for more irrigation? | BOR | Irvine | 303-225-2253 |
| Microfiltration for Surface Water Treatment at Makah Indian Nation, Neah Bay, WA | What water treatment methods are necessary to bring well water on the Makah and Quinalt Indian Reservations to EPA drinking water standards? | BOR | Howard | 303-445-2252 |
| Membrane Treatment of Effluent Dominated Waters for Reinjection (Payson, AZ) | Is desalting necessary to bring the Town of Payson's tertiary treated waste water to an acceptible level for re-injection in the Town's well field? | BOR | Poulson | 602-216-3836 |
| Optimization of Reserve Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs) for Long-Term Operation at Ft. Kipp, MT | How must surplus army ROWPUs be retrofitted for economical long term operations to supply water to communities in need? | BOR | Walp | 303-445-2871 |
| Desalination Reject Concentration & Disposal Pilot Study | Can an innovative process developed under the Desalination Act be used to recover water from reverse osmosis concentrate thereby reducing the disposal cost and providing more water for the City of Phoenix? | BOR | Poulson | 602-216-3836 |
| Cellulose Acetate (CA) Desalting Membrane Study | Will removal of rods from cellulose acetate membrane polymer produce a membrane with lower salt passage? | BOR | Murphy | 303-445-2259 |
| Direct Reuse of Treated Sewage Effluent for Augmenting Potable Water Supplies | How can water reuse be integrated into El Paso's water supply system? | BOR | Landis | 915-534-6307 |
| Optimum Reuse Water Quality for Turf Irrigation | Tertiary treated water is used for turf irrigation in Phoenix but is proving to be unhealthy for the grasses. What method of treatment for this water is necessary to produce healthy turf grasses? | BOR | Tuel | 602-216-3918 |
| Updates to the Water Treatment Primer. A Comprehensive Guide that Enables Small Communities to Make Educated Decisions on Water Treatment | Update costs and add more treatment processes to this valuable information resource. | BOR | Dundorf | 303-445-2263 |
| Central Arizona Salinity Study | How can Central Arizona reduce salinity build-up in soils? | BOR | Moody | 303-445-2258 |
| Polyamide (PA) Desalting Membrane Study | Can a special chlorine tolerant isomer of polyamide be used to produce a more chlorine tolerant thin film membrane? | BOR | Murphy | 303-445-2259 |
| WS-3 Develop And Improve Cost Efficient, Reliable Methods To Automate, Measure, And Deliver Agricultural Water to the Farm Headgate^^menu^^ | ||||
| Development and Deployment of Low-Cost Flow Measurement for Irrigation Applications | Can low-cost flow measurement techniques be identified or developed to facilitate water measurement, accountability, and conservation in irrigation projects? | BOR | Einhellig | 303-445-2142 |
| Development and Deployment of Affordable Technologies for Flow Measurement and Delivery Control | Can Reclamation help water managers by developing accurate measurement and flow control in an affordable manner? | LC | Gill | 303-445-2201 |
| Flow Measurement with Canal Gates | Can we develop efficient, accurate algorithms and user-friendly computational tools that will dramatically improve our ability to accurately measure flows at canal gate structures, thereby facilitating timely, accurate, and efficient delivery of water, and reducing the need for construction of new, dedicated water measurement structures? | BOR | Wahl | 303-445-2155 |
| Development of Low-Cost Automation & Internet Decision Support Technologies for Improving River Basin Operations | How can we best use the new low-cost technologies currently available to improve water deliveries and enhance environmental conditions in western river basins? | UC | Hansen | 801-379-1170 |
| Development of Automated Delivery Systems Compatible with Improved Efficiency Application of Irrigation Water | Can methods be developed to improve delivery systems to coordinate with demands of field applications? | BOR | Gill | 303-445-2201 |
| Integrated Decision Support for Irrigation Delivery Systems | Can we integrate near real-time information on rainfall and crop-water use (e.g., the AWARDS and ET Toolbox systems) with delivery-on-demand canal operations technologies to improve the timeliness, accuracy, and efficiency of agricultural water deliveries? | BOR | Wahl | 303-445-2155 |
| WS-4 Develop And Improve Reclamation's Ability To Facilitate Water Marketing And Other Institutional Mechanisms To Expand And Manage Water Supplies^^menu^^ | ||||
| Water Marketing Economics | Can we improve Reclamation's ability to facilitate water marketing by closing the information gap between Reclamation and water market practioners and experts? | BOR | Engel | 303.445.2732 |
| Market Mechanisms for Addressing Water Supply and Environmental Needs | What size of water market is required to produce effective competition? What is the effect of leasing terms on annual leasing costs? What is the premium above current use values that is necessary to induce a water sale or lease? What are appropriate procedures for protecting third party impacts? What are appropriate procedures for integrating ground and surface water effects? | BOR | Hamilton | 303-445-2745 |
| WS-5 Find Ways To Help Irrigation Districts Identify And Cope With Change Such As Urbanization, Competition For Water Rights, And Recreational Use Of Facilities^^menu^^ | ||||
| Social and Economic Sustainability of Irrigated Family Farms in the West | What has been the level of dollar investments in water conservation and water quality practices and technologies made by irrigators under Federal cost-share and grant programs, and to what extent have these investments contributed to improved water management. How sustainable are these practices and technologies, and how can they be made more sustainable in the future? How can technology transfer delivery systems in these areas be improved? What is the role (the linkage) that irrigation district management and modernization plays in ensuring future investments by irrigators in water conservation and water quality practices and technologies. | BOR | Coulter | 303-445-2706 970-491-5635 |
| WS-6 Develop Cost Effective Materials And Methods To Decrease System Water Losses And Associated Groundwater Quality And Quantity Impacts^^menu^^ | ||||
| Improving Water Delivery and Stretching Supplies thru Modern Canal Lining Technologies | Can low-cost polymers be a reliable, effective, and environmentally acceptable alternative for canal and pond linings? Can we increase acceptance, awareness, and use of modern, low-cost canal linings thru demonstration and outreach? Can we establish better guidance on evaluating and avoiding adverse impacts to groundwater and wetlands that could be associated with canal lining projects? | BOR | Swihart | 303-445-2397 |
| Decision Support (DS) | ||||
| DS-1 Develop And Improve Methods To Predict, Model, And Manage Extreme And Operational Hydrologic Events^^menu^^ | ||||
| Development of National Stardards for Precipitation Depth/Area Relations for establishing Safety and Operating Criteria at Reclamation Water Control Structures | What is the relationship between point and areal adjusted precipitation frequency estimates so that appropriate basin average precipitation can be determined for individual drainages and associated flood flows can be calculated for project design? | BOR | Stodt | 303-445-2474 |
| GIS- Based Stochastic Flood Model for Water Supply Enhancement | How can detailed GIS analyses of flood plains be better incorporated into flood innundation studies? What are the most efficient methods to improve stochastic flood simulations for the protection of life and property and augmentation of water supplies? | BOR | Robert Swain | 303-445-2547 |
| DS-2 Develop And Improve Methods To Forecast And Monitor Water Supplies And Water Demands^^menu^^ | ||||
| Improve Water Demand Forecasting to Enhance Water Conservation and Improve Water Supplies for Operational Water Resources Management During Drought | How can emerging land data assimilation systems and land surface models developed under the Global Water and Energy Cycles Experiment by NASA and NOAA research teams be used to improve water demand forecasts for Reclamation facilities? What is the value added by these research tools to Reclamation's water operations? | BOR | Hartzell | 303-445-2482 |
| Improve Streamflow Forecasts for More Efficient and Effective River System Management | How can streamflow forecasts provided under the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services research be used by Reclamation water operations managers to improve river system and reservoir operation efficiency? Can more accurate forecasts increase reservoir conservation pool storage, by minimizing the flood control pool? How can Reclamation and the US Army Corps of Engineers better use these forecasts to manage river systems? Do NASA's North American Land Data Assimilation System's Land Surface Models improve the snow water equivalent analysis and prediction, thereby improving runoff and water supply forecasts above Reclamation facilities? | GP | Hartzell | 303-445-2482 |
| Water Budget ET Toolbox Enhancements to Improve Water Conservation and Consumptive Use Forecasting for Water Operations Managers | What is the impact of improved surface water and energy budget analysis and prediction on evapotranspiration and consumptive use forecasts for water delivery scheduling? How can this new technology from NASA and NOAA be automated for daily water operations decision-making? What is the value added by the new technology for improved water conservation, increased water supply, and more effective hydropower production? | BOR | Hartzell | 303-445-2482 |
| Prototype demonstration and Incorporation of Real Time ET Monitoring Into the Upper Rio Grande Water Operations Model for More Efficient and Effective Water Delivery Scheduling and Protection of Water Storage Allocations in Drought | How can water operations managers apply improved ET monitoring systems to enhance water delivery effectiveness thereby conserving water and increasing conservation pool storage in Reclamation's reservoirs? What is the value added by these research products for water managers, irrigators, and M&I water users? How does this improve the sustainability of ESA listed species such as the Silvery Minnow? | UC | Bowser | 505-248-5403 |
| Development and Testing of Land Atmosphere Water Simulator (LAWS) to Enhance Reservoir and Water Conservation Management Using the Latest Remote Sensing, GIS, and Atmospheric, Hydrologic and Vegetation Physical Process Models for Planning and Operational Decision-making | Can advanced remote sensing and GIS systems be integrated with physically based vadose zone, and crop ET models and atmospheric prediction models to improve consumptive use forecasting in irrigated agricultural areas? How much does this contribute to increased water conservation and reservoir storage through more efficient and effective use of water? | BOR | Tansey | 916 978-5197 |
| Improved Efficiency and Effectivness of Water Management Through Enhanced Hydrometeorological Analysis and Prediction of Water Supply and Demand for Water Operations Managers Using New Products From NOAA's Research Labs, Advanced Hydrological Prediction Services (AHPS) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and NASA's Hydrologic Sciences Branch | How can NOAA's and NASA's research such as the newly developed AHPS, and Land Data Assimilation Systems that provide short, medium- and long-range forecasting products improve Reclamations river system and reservoir management? How much additional reservoir storage, flood control space, and hydropower generation can be attributed to more efficient river system management using these forecasts? What are the uncertainties in these predictions, and how can knowledge of uncertainty in forecasts enable managers to better use these forecasts? | BOR | Stodt | 303-445-2474 |
| Integration of Watershed Precipitation and Runoff Modeling Enhancements for Agricultural Water Resource Decision Support to Improve Flash Flood and Streamflow Forecasts for Water Operations Managers and Water Accounting | Can physically based watershed runoff models provide better water balance and flash flood forecasting information in desert regions using NEXRAD radar quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE)? Can QPE from optimum multisensor systems such as Reclamation's Precipitation Accumulation Algorithm (PAA) and the National Severe Storms Lab's QPE-SUMS system provide accurate input to watershed runoff models and evapotranspiration calculations of runof and crop and riparian consumptive use, respectively? What is the most appropriate runoff model for operational applications with the PAA and QPE-SUMS? Can this integrated modeling system provide accurate total water budget accounting for the Lower Colorado? | BOR, LC | Hunter | 303-445-2478 |
| Improved Water Conservation Through Application of Advanced Land Use Trend Analysis (LUTA) Technology and the Evapotranspiration Toolbox Decision Support for Water Delivery Scheduling | How can advanced remote sensing techniques be used to improve Land Use Trend Analyses (LUTA) for consumptive use models? Are these techniques economically viable? Will these tools significantly improve daily water demand forecasting, thererby, increasing river system management efficiency and resulting in increased conservation storage pools? Can these systems adequately describe riparian vegetation and open water types and areas to improve evapotranspiration and evaporation calculations? Can these measurements be made frequently enough to meet needs of river system managers and irrigation districts? | BOR | Meyer | 303-445-2475 |
| Improved Water Supply Analysis and Prediction Through Regional Adaptation and Enhancement of the NEXRAD Precipitation Accumulation Algorithm for Watersheds Above Reclamation Facilities | How can better physical estimates of precipitation evaporation below cloud base improve the radar precipitation accumulation algorithms (PAA), thereby making water supply estimates more accurate? Can excessive bright band reflectivities be accounted for and removed from the PAA estimates to provide more rhobust precipitation estimates? How much improvement in water supply information is provided by more accurate radar precipitation estimates? | BOR, LC | Holoroyd | 303-445-2276 |
| DS-3 Develop & Improve Models & Decision Support Systems To Optimally Manage Water Supplies by Ev | ||||