This proposal includes generally similar work in three project areas: Tintic Valley, western Juab County (ongoing monitoring leading up to treatment in 2020), Grouse Creek Mountains, western Box Elder County (purchase and installation of two flumes, and ongoing monitoring leading up to treatment in 2019 or 2020), and Montezuma Creek tributaries (Coal Bed Creek and Boulder Creek), southeastern San Juan County (permitting, purchase and installation of monitoring system, ongoing monitoring leading up to treatment in 2020 or 2021). The goal of these projects is to identify and quantify hydrologic and related ecologic changes that may result from large-scale treatment (i.e., cutting) of pinyon-juniper forests along mountain fronts. The treatments are part of a statewide program coordinated and funded by UWRI for restoration of sage-grouse habitat and fire-hazard reduction. Partners/cooperators include the USBLM, U.S. Forest Service, National Resource Conservation Service, UDWR, and private landowners. We have received in the past, and have applied for ongoing, additional funding from the Utah Division of Water Quality. As appropriate to each study area, we will monitor changes in spring flow, stream flow, groundwater levels, soil moisture, surface water-groundwater interactions, water quality, stable-isotope composition, and aquatic, wet meadow, and upland vegetation resulting from the treatments. Monitoring will occur in treatment and control (i.e., untreated) areas that are as hydrogeologically similar as possible. The objective is to establish the monitoring systems at least 2 years before the treatment to characterize baseline response of groundwater to climate variations under current conditions, and monitor at least 3 years after cutting to determine changes in groundwater recharge and availability.

As appropriate to each study area, we will monitor changes in spring flow, stream flow, groundwater levels, soil moisture, surface water-groundwater interactions, water quality, stable-isotope composition, and aquatic, wet meadow, and upland vegetation resulting from the treatments. Monitoring will occur in treatment and control (i.e., untreated) areas that are as hydrogeologically similar as possible. The objective is to establish the monitoring systems at least 2 years before the treatment to characterize baseline response of groundwater to climate variations under current conditions, and monitor at least 3 years after cutting to determine changes in groundwater recharge and availability.

Studies in central Oregon (Deboodt et al., 2008) and central Nevada (Snyder, 2014) demonstrated increased shallow-groundwater resources (spring flow, shallow groundwater levels, soil moisture) following pinyon/juniper removal, whereas other studies in western states showed no measurable changes (Kuhn and others, 2007). The potential risk, therefore, is that we would not document changes above the resolution of measurement techniques, or that no recharge would occur due to unusually low winter precipitation during the monitoring period. Considering the similarity (climatic, vegetation) of the Oregon and Nevada sites to the proposed study areas, however, we expect positive results. References Deboodt, T.L., et al., 2008, Monitoring hydrological changes related to western juniper removal: A paired watershed approach: Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds, p. 227-232. Kuhn, T.J., et al., 2007, Juniper removal may not increase overall Klamath River Basin water yields: California Agriculture 61(4):166-171. DOI: 10.3733/ca.v061n04p166. Snyder, K., 2014, Desatoya Mountains Project and the Porter Canyon Experimental Watershed: Online, .

Results will (1) aid assessment of the impact of treatments on shallow groundwater systems, (2) demonstrate benefits of the treatment projects beyond changes to plant communities, and (3) help plan future treatment projects by identifying conditions favorable to increasing groundwater recharge.

Fuels reduction is a major motivation of the treatments in this region. Monitoring groundwater will not affect fuels.

We will monitor discharge of springs and streams, and shallow groundwater levels. Water quality will be monitored to identify changes in major solute and stable-isotope composition related to increased recharge from the treatment areas. For surface water, we will monitor flow, temperature, turbidity, and chemical composition in Death Creek; and flow, temperature, and chemical composition including Se in Coal Bed Creek and Boulder Creek (Montezuma Creek tributaries).

NEPA for monitoring equipment installation on U.S. Bureau of Land Management. MOU with Utah State Institutional Trust Land Administration to install and conduct monitoring. Monitoring well permits from Utah Division of Water Rights for wells greater than 30 feet deep. Installation of monitoring equipment will be in coordination with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and BLM to avoid disturbance of critical habitat. We will follow UDWQ protocol for appropriate water-quality samples.

Spring and stream flow: V-notch weirs or ramp flumes as appropriate, equipped with stilling wells and pressure/temperature loggers. Temperature loggers in stream beds above and below likely areas of groundwater connection, and along reaches of intermittent flow. Shallow groundwater: Piezometers (1.5-inch diameter) screened 2 to 5 feet below the water table, equipped with pressure transducers. Arrange in lines perpendicular to stream to evaluate surface flow-groundwater interaction, and in dry valleys to record seasonal changes in groundwater levels. Chemistry: Periodic sampling of springs, groundwater in piezometers, surface flow, and precipitation; for general chemistry, stable and radiogenic isotopes, and other constituents as appropriate. Soil moisture: Nested TDR probes in boreholes drilled by hand auger or machine auger, in comparable treatment and control areas, In juniper stands and wet meadows as available. Climate: Precipitation, temperature, and snowpack will be measured at a local weather station already established by the BLM.

We plan to monitor spring flow, stream base flow, shallow groundwater, major solutes, Oxygen-18 and deuterium isotopes, soil moisture, weather (precipitation, temperature, snowpack), and aquatic, wet meadow, and upland vegetation in watersheds planned for treatment. Monitoring will begin 2 to 3 years before the treatments and continue for 2 to 3 years after. Establish response of groundwater and surface flow to climatic variations under current conditions, and determine changes (if any) following treatment. Coeval monitoring of nearby untreated areas will extend the record of groundwater response to climate variability.

BLM -- James Priest, Cassie Mellon, Thom Gibbons, Shawn Storbo, Ann-Marie Aubry. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources -- Jason Robinson, Alison Whittaker. BLM partners have shared long-term treatment plans and are willing to coordinate treatment schedules to benefit the monitoring projects, e.g., delay treatments of heavily monitored areas to allow accumulation of baseline data.

If conditions favoring increased groundwater recharge are identified, this could aid planning, management, and promotion of future treatment programs. The study areas is in the Sheeprock Mountains Sage Grouse Management Area, for which extensive pinyon/juniper treatments have been planned. The monitoring process will not affect the sage grouse directly, but will help evaluate possible beneficial changes to habitat.

Document possible increased spring flow, surface flow, and groundwater-supported wet meadows for improved grazing.

07/02/2018

05/31/2019

2019

Installed monitoring network in Montezuma Creek tributaries project area and in the Railroad Springs subarea of the Tintic Valley project area. Data collection is ongoing in the Grouse Creek project area.

Data collection is ongoing in the Tintic Valley, Grouse Creek, and Montezuma Creek tributaries project area. Continuous streamflow measurements in the Death Creek subarea of the Tintic Valley project area encountered significant disruptions due to flash floods in 2018 and high runoff in 2019; and continuous spring flow measurement at Mud Spring 1 has been disrupted by equipment malfunction that took a great deal of time to identify.

Treatments in the Tintic Valley project area are planned for fall 2019 above Railroad Springs, 2020 above Mud Spring 2, and tentatively 2020 in Death Creek side drainages. Treatment (Keg Spring) in the Grouse Creek project area is planned for 2021. Treatment in the Montezuma Creek tributaries project area is tentatively planned for 2021 or 2022. Hydrologic monitoring of the Vernon Creek BDA project is in the planning stages and should be installed by the end of October 2019.