This project will attempt to quantify hydrologic and other environmental changes resulting from environmental restoration projects, particularly pinyon-juniper (P-J) treatment and beaver dam analog (BDA) stream-restoration projects. We are implementing a paired-basin (i.e., treated and untreated) monitoring approach to measure changes in groundwater-supported springs and streams, shallow groundwater, soil moisture, and upland and wet-meadow vegetation. Our strategy is to implement continuous or periodic monitoring and sampling to characterize the response of hydrologic systems to climatic fluctuations under current conditions (i.e., prior to treatments), and observe changes in those patterns after treatment. Major annual fluctuations in precipitation and snowpack and changes in land practice add uncertainty to the process. However, we hope to emerge with quantitative estimates of both local and landscape-scale hydrologic changes due to treatments and recommendations for how to maximize hydrologic benefits of future treatments. Extensive P-J treatment projects conducted by federal, state, and private cooperators primarily aim to increase and improve sage grouse habitat and reduce wildfire risk. Monitoring the effects of large-scale treatments on groundwater conditions may demonstrate additional environmental benefits that result from increased groundwater availability. Possible examples include increased spring flow and groundwater discharge to streams and wet meadows, resulting in (1) habitat improvement for wildlife and species of greatest conservation need, and (2) improved water supply and forage for grazing. The BDA monitoring projects focus on hydrologic and vegetation changes associated with implementation, particularly stream flow and bank storage, as well as sediment trapping/reduced downcutting. Our work also includes landscape-scale analysis of hydrologic and vegetation changes using imagery analysis.

The goal of our work is to identify and quantify environmental changes that result from large-scale P-J treatments and BDA implementation. As appropriate to each study area, we monitor changes in spring flow, stream flow, groundwater levels, soil moisture, surface water-groundwater interactions, water quality, stable- and radiogenic-isotope composition (as a proxy for groundwater recharge) and aquatic, wet meadow, and upland vegetation. Monitoring follows a paired-basin approach, defining treatment and control (i.e., untreated) areas having as similar hydrogeology and ecology as possible. We try to establish the monitoring systems at least 3 years before the treatment to characterize baseline response of groundwater to climate variations under current conditions and monitor at least 5 years after treatment to determine changes in groundwater recharge and availability.

Studies in central Oregon (Deboodt et al., 2008) and central Nevada (Snyder, 2014; Carroll and others, 2017) demonstrated increased shallow-groundwater resources (spring flow, shallow groundwater levels, stream base flow) following P-J removal, whereas other studies in western states showed no measurable changes in stream flow (Kuhn and others, 2007). Considering the similarity (climatic, vegetation) of the Oregon and Nevada sites to most project areas in Utah, however, we expect positive results. The potential risks are that we would not document changes above the resolution of measurement techniques, or that recent periods of abnormally high winter precipitation or variable precipitation would mask increased recharge the treatments. Lack of control of land use also threatens to obscure changes due to the treatments. For example, in the Grouse Creek Mountains project the Keg Spring grazing allotment has been unexpectedly grazed for several consecutive years, causing severe disruption to spring heads and valley floors as well as breaching of protective fences causing disruption of continuous monitoring. In the same project area, the headwaters of our control spring, which are on private land, were treated in a project that was not known to us in designing the study. For BDA projects, we hope to quantify changes in stream flow and bank storage (i.e., shallow groundwater levels in stream channel sediments) associated with ponding and increased sedimentation. The main risk is that we may observe decreased summer flows for a year or two after BDA installation as the streambed aquifers fill, and ongoing increased evapotranspiration as wetland vegetation re-establishes. We expect, however, to see less precipitous decrease in late season flows due to drainage of these same aquifers, as well as decreased sediment load and improved grazing. References Carroll, R.W.H., Huntington, J.L., Snyder, K.A., Niswonger, R.G., Morton, C., and Stringham, T.K., 2017, Evaluating mountain meadow groundwater response to Pinyon-Juniper and temperature in a great basin watershed: Ecohydrology, v. 10, DOI 10.1002/eco.1792. 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, https://lccnetwork.org/resource/webinar-desatoya-mountains-project-and-porter-canyon-experimental-watershed.

Current Treatment Schedules Tintic Valley Railroad Springs -- Completed fall 2019 Mud Springs -- Fall 2021 Death Creek -- Fall 2022 (highly uncertain) Vernon Creek BDA -- Summer 2021 or 2022 Grouse Creek Mts Emigrant Pass -- completed fall 2019 Keg Spring -- Fall 2022 (uncertain) Montezuma Creek Tributaries -- Fall 2021 Results will (1) aid assessment of the impact of treatments on shallow groundwater systems, (2) demonstrate ecologic benefits of the treatment projects beyond changes to sage grouse habitat and wildfire risk reduction, (3) help plan the water-yield component of future treatment projects by identifying conditions favorable to increasing groundwater recharge, and (4) help plan future BDA projects by providing data on how stream hydrology may change, aiding project timing, setting expectations for local water users, and evaluating water rights issues.

Fuels reduction is a major motivation of the treatments. Monitoring groundwater will not affect fuels. If late season flows are observed in the BDA project, potentially higher instream flows and reservoir levels may aid firefighting during late summer/early fall and reduce impacts of fire along the riparian corridors.

We are monitoring discharge of springs and streams, and shallow groundwater levels connected to surface water. Water quality will be monitored to identify possible changes in major-solute and stable-isotope composition related to increased recharge in the treatment areas. We will monitor for Selenium concentration in surface water in the Montezuma Creek tributaries study because this area has a TMDL for Se. We will monitor flow, temperature, and chemical composition in Death Creek, which is tributary to Tanner Creek in the Sevier River management area (Utah DWQ). This proposal covers labor and analyses associated with quarterly water-quality and stable-isotope sampling of (1) 13 springs, 17 piezometers, and one in northwestern Tintic Valley (Mud Springs, Death Creek, and Railroad Springs subareas); (2) 15 springs and 8 piezometers in the Grouse Creek Mountains, and (3) 9 piezometers, two streams (Coal Bed and Boulder Creeks), and one spring in the Montezuma Creek drainage. Analyses very by study area and include total dissolved solids, stable isotopes (2H and 18O abundance in water), tritium (3H) at selected springs and piezometers, and Se in the Montezuma Creek project area.

NEPA for monitoring equipment installation on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land. 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. UDWQ protocol for appropriate water-quality samples. The Vernon Creek BDA monitoring is on private land and we are in communication with the land owner.

Spring and stream flow: ramp flumes or V-notch weirs as appropriate, equipped with stilling wells and pressure and temperature loggers. Shallow groundwater: Piezometers screened below the water table, equipped with pressure transducers. Climate: Precipitation, temperature, and snowpack data will be obtained from local weather stations. Chemistry: Periodic sampling of springs, groundwater in piezometers, surface flow, and precipitation. Soil moisture: nested TDR probes installed about 5, 10, and 15 feet deep at forested upland sites, and 3 feet deep at wet meadow sites. Anticipated future requests to WRI: $178,000 for FY 2023, $180,000 for FY 2024, and $180,000 for FY 2025.

We are monitoring water levels in wells and piezometers, spring flow, stream base flow, shallow groundwater, major solutes, 2H and 18O, soil moisture, weather (precipitation, temperature, snowpack), and aquatic and wet meadow vegetation in watersheds planned for treatment. Monitoring will ideally begin 3 years before the treatments and continue for 3 to 5 years after. We will seek to characterize the response of groundwater, spring discharge and surface flow to climatic variations under current conditions, then quantify changes (if any) following treatments. Coeval monitoring of nearby untreated areas following treatments will extend the record of response to climate variability. For the Vernon Creek BDA project, we will monitor stream flow above, between and below two stream reaches -- the upper reach is the control reach and will not have BDAs installed for several years. The lower reach will have BDAs installed after two years of monitoring. We have installed piezometers along both reaches adjacent to the stream to monitor changes in shallow groundwater levels. Seasonal changes in both stream flow and shallow groundwater levels together will show the patterns of surface water-groundwater dynamics; we will look for changes in these patterns after BDA installation.

U.S. BLM -- Fillmore, Salt Lake, Moab, and Monticello Field Offices. 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. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources -- Salt Lake, Ogden, and Price Field Offices. USU Community-Based Conservation Program - outreach and coordination with other agencies Local land owners -- access and project explanation/outreach. Moab Area Watershed Partnership -- coordination with local agencies and landowners and field assistance.

If conditions favoring increased groundwater recharge are identified, this could aid planning, management, and promotion of future treatment programs to optimize local water yield. The study areas are in the Sheeprock Mountains Sage Grouse Management Area, Box Elder Sage Grouse Management Area, and Montezuma Creek and Lower San Juan-Four Corners Coordinated Resource Management Plan (San Juan Conservation District).

Our project will help quantify improvement of sustainable water resources by environmental restoration projects.

07/01/2021

08/30/2022

2023

This grant supports ongoing work to monitor possible hydrologic changes resulting from large-scale environmental restoration projects including Pinyon-Juniper treatments (PJT), Beaver Dam Analog stream restoration (BDA), and riparian restoration via changed grazing schedules (RR). Our project areas are: 1) Tintic Valley PJT including Mud Springs, Railroad Springs, and Death Creek subareas; 2) Vernon Creek BDA, 3) Montezuma Creek Tributaries (Cedar Park and Cactus Park PJT), 4) Grouse Creek Mountains PJT, and 5) Three Creeks RR. Final Methods include: 1) Monthly to quarterly site visits to measure flow, water levels, and field parameters (pH, temperature, electrical conductivity); 2) Additional monthly site visits for stream flow measurements at Vernon Creek, spring flow measurements at Mud Spring 1 and Mud Spring 2, and field parameters, i.e., two visits per month to these sites; and instrument repair/maintenance as needed; 3) Monthly to quarterly sampling of selected sites for stable isotope composition (d2H and d18O) and other constituents as needed, and monthly sampling of precipitation collectors for stable isotope composition; 4) Bi-annual visits to soil moisture monitoring sites for data downloads and maintenance; 5) Bi-annual to annual visits to streambed temperature logger sites for data downloads and maintenance; 6) Annual vegetation surveys in established plots at upland (P-J cover) and wet-meadow sites in Death Creek and Mud Springs control and treatment areas; 7) Quantifying changes in NDVI resulting from P-J treatments over the entire treatment area and deriving preliminary change in ET estimates; 8) Data processing and compilation.

Tintic Valley (PJT) Mud Springs. Continuous flow measurement and periodic sampling are ongoing at Mud Spring 1 (control) and Mud Spring 2 (treatment). Treatment above Mud Spring 2 occurred during winter 2021-22. Mud Spring 2 spring flow monitoring is supplemented by groundwater levels and sampling in monitoring wells a) up-hydraulic-gradient from and closer to the treatment area than Mud Spring 2 and b) down-hydraulic-gradient from Mud Spring 2, just above a large wet meadow in Chambers Wash informally and optimistically named Chambers Spring. Soil moisture monitoring sites are at wet meadows above and below Mud Spring 2, and in the P-J northeast of the spring. Both wet meadow sites are interpreted as supported by shallow groundwater so potentially stand to benefit from the treatment. We are conducting ongoing vegetation monitoring at both wet meadow sites and in P-J within the treatment area. Railroad Springs. We established monitoring of spring flow, shallow groundwater levels, field parameters, and stable isotope composition at six springs in the Railroad Spring complex (treatment area) and five springs in the informally named McIntyre spring complex two miles to the north (control area) in summer-fall 2018. Railroad Springs PJT occurred during November-December 2019. Treatment was followed by unusually wet (2019-2020) and dry (2020-2021, 2021-2022) winters. We are currently compiling and analyzing the data. Observable changes may occur following the next wet winter season. Death Creek. We established continuous flow-measurement stations (flumes equipped with pressure transducers) in 2017 at a site close to Death Creek Springs, where perennial flow begins, and at the southeastern end of the planned Death Creek PJT area. These sites are designed to quantify potential changes in flow from Death Creek Springs and cumulative changes due to possible increased flow from lateral seepage along Death Creek in the treatment area. We measure flow monthly at the flumes and at four additional sites along Death Creek. Vegetation and soil-moisture monitoring are ongoing in upland (P-J cover) and wet-meadow sites in control and treatment areas. Treatment awaits the completion of the Emery County land exchange. Vernon Creek (BDA) Working with the Division of Wildlife Resources, we defined a reach of Vernon Creek along which we established monitoring in 2019 and DWR delayed a planned BDA installation until sufficient pre-implementation data could be collected (about 2 years). Our monitoring network includes continuous stream flow monitoring of Vernon Creek and Little Valley Creek at the upstream end of the study area; Vernon Creek at the midpoint; an established U.S. Geological Survey gauge on Vernon Creek; and at a Vernon Creek in the lowest culvert above the reservoir. We monitor groundwater levels and electrical conductivity in 11 piezometers to monitor stream-groundwater dynamics. We also sample Vernon Creek for turbidity and total suspended solids. During 2021 we established two stations for measuring sediment accumulation, behind an existing BDA and behind a future BDA. A letter of concern over installation of the treatment BDAs delayed their implementation, but we expect to be ready for installation by spring 2023 if not sooner. Grouse Creek Mountains (PJT) The Grouse Creek Mountains project area includes two subareas -- southwest and southeast of the southern range crest, established in 2018. The Keg Spring PJT is tentatively planned for 2024. Treatment in the southeast sub area was completed in fall/winter 2019. In the southwest subarea, continuous spring flow monitoring is occurring at Keg Spring (treatment), Lower Rocky Pass Spring (control, but see below), and springs in Willow Springs Canyon (one treatment, one control). Shallow groundwater monitoring is established in Keg Spring Wash just above the impounded pond, Willow Springs Canyon, just above Lower Rocky Pass Spring, and adjacent to Cluster Springs 1 and 2 (the Keg Spring treatment area is in the likely catchment area of the Cluster Spring complex). Monthly monitoring of spring flow and chemistry is ongoing in Willow Springs Canyon (treatment; also includes monthly surface flow at selected sites), Rocky Pass (control/quantification of recharge chemistry), and Bedke Springs (control). Continuous monitoring at Keg Spring has been disrupted by installation of a diversion line to watering troughs. Considering the delay in anticipated treatment date, we are considering scaling back our sampling and visitation schedule during 2023. In the southeast subarea, monitoring was established to take advantage of four developed springs for which monthly flow measurement and sampling are easy and fast (Bovine [treatment], Sheep Trail [treatment], Chokecherry [control, but see below], and Willow [control]. Recent alterations to Willow Spring plumbing now prevent flow measurement. In late 2018, treatment occurred on private land in the upper catchment areas of Lower Rocky Pass Spring and Chokecherry Spring. Both springs showed significant flow increase during 2019, however, that year also had relatively high snowfall, so continued monitoring is required to determine if the treatments affect long-term flow. Monthly monitoring at an unnamed spring north of North Bedke Spring (i.e., North North Bedke Spring) was added in 2019 as an additional control site. Montezuma Creek Tributaries (PJT) This work has been supported by grants for DWQ's Nonpoint Pollution Source fund in addition to UWRI. The project includes two proposed PJT areas in the Cedar Park and Cactus Park benches above Coal Bed Creek drainage, and a control area in the Boulder Creek drainage to the north. Most monitoring equipment was deployed during November 2018 and January/March 2019. We installed a total of nine piezometers and ten streambed temperature loggers on the Coal Bed Creek and Boulder Creek beds. The piezometers will measure groundwater flow to the streams and streambank storage. The temperature loggers will measure changes in soil temperature possibly related to changes in pore water (i.e., saturated streambed sediment) or intermittent flow. We installed three soil moisture probes (SMP) in the Cedar Park and Cactus Park treatment areas, and three in the Boulder Creek control area, all ~4 to 5 feet deep. During summer 2020, we installed additional probes at 1 and 2 feet depths at all stations to track infiltration of snowmelt and precipitation. In both lower Coal Bed and lower Boulder Creeks, we have temporary v-notch weir plates on site to measure flow if present at the time of monitoring. During most of the year, surface flow is negligible in both creeks, with more flow recorded at lower Boulder Creek than Coal Bed Creek. Flow from springs and seeps in upper Boulder and lower Coal Bed is not measurable. Most stream flow occurs during flash flood/monsoonal season and after heavy winter precipitation. Montezuma Creek is impaired for Selenium, however, Se is negligible in the Coal Bed Creek and Boulder Creek groundwater-surface water systems. If the treatment results in greater discharge from Coal Bed Creek to Montezuma Creek, the potential exists for improvement of water quality in the latter stream by dilution. We have been catching up on data processing during 2022. Treatment was delayed due to issues around the cultural resource assessment and is tentatively scheduled for fall/winter 2022-2023. Three Creeks (RR) We joined the Three Creeks riparian restoration project in 2020 but were hindered by COVID, staff availability, and uncertainty over whether we would see measurable results. In early 2021 we learned that measuring soil physical parameters to 1 m depth had been added to the vegetation and water quality monitoring, and conducted a field review with some of the PIs which convinced us that we should be involved in this significant project. The general objective is to realize measurable gains in riparian ecosystem functions through modified grazing systems that move the cattle through the environment rather than allowing them to stay in one place during the entire grazing season. UWRI has supported fifteen restoration projects in the Otter Creeks-Big Creek area. We installed 20 monitoring piezometers, five stream-stage sites (staff gages), and three continuous flow monitoring sites in April and May 2022, and expect to continue for at least two more years to establish current conditions and evaluate whether we are able to detect hydrologic changes. Our objective is to establish hydrologic and hydrochemical monitoring at paired sites within and outside of existing exclosures along Big Creek and Middle Otter Creek. Monitoring on grazed reaches will establish how (or if) surface water and groundwater interact and whether these interactions change during the course of a spring to winter cycle. Over time, we hope to detect changes in surface water-groundwater interactions as soil health metrics improve. Specifically, connection between surface water and groundwater should improve and groundwater storage in streambank aquifers should improve. Late-season stream flow and temperature may improve due to movement of groundwater into the stream as stream stages decline. Potentially, the volume of groundwater stored in the streambank aquifer is small compared to the volume of stream water, so that flow of groundwater into the stream may not be detectable. The following description of the overall project objectives were provided by Working Lands LLC, one of the main PIs. "We have been collecting information on how a number of ecosystem services differ based on grazing systems -- looking across three current systems on the Three Creeks area (continuous turnout vs deferred rotation with early grazing vs. deferred rotation with late season grazing), plus a rapid rotation grazing system over at Deseret Land and Livestock. The idea is to collect information on how our target ecosystem services are expected to change in the Three Creeks area once the new grazing system is established there in 2021 [the change did not occur until 2022 -HH]. The ecosystem services we are currently looking at include: forage recovery in riparian areas, riparian sage grouse habitat quality, and water quality (E. coli levels throughout the grazing season)." "In the summer of 2021, we began collecting data on a few metrics of soil health in riparian areas at the vegetation sites. These metrics included infiltration, bulk density, and soil stability. A subset of those sites were also sampled for soil organic carbon. This upcoming summer and into the future, we will be revisiting those riparian vegetation sites (in addition to a few new riparian sites) to continue collecting data on infiltration, bulk density, and soil stability, as well as soil organic carbon, soil nitrogen and nitrogen cycling, soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, and soil respiration." Remote Sensing and GIS Rebecca Molinari, GIS Analyst in the UGS Groundwater and Wetlands Program, is exploring using remote sensing data (NDVI) to quantify bulk vegetative changes resulting from PJT, to complement the focused hydrologic monitoring efforts. Our goal is to estimate change in evapotranspiration due to PJT over entire treatment areas and estimate the possible resulting change in infiltration of snowmelt and precipitation and, therefore, groundwater recharge. Rebecca has demonstrated statistically significant differences in late summer values of NDVI before and after treatment in some project areas (predictably, bullhog projects where pre-treatment tree density was high and nearly all the P-Js were cleared). Preliminary work indicates that statistically significant changes in bulk ET also occur. There are several models for calculating ET from NDVI, and we are waiting for increased functionality of the new OpenET site to use vetted, consistent calculations. The next step will be to estimate change in recharge, which will be complex and the best approach will likely be to estimate long-term averages.

Anticipated PJT dates: Railroad Springs -- completed Fall 2019 SE Grouse Creek Mountains -- completed Fall 2019 Mud Spring 2 -- Completed Fall/Winter 2021-2022 Montezuma Creek -- Anticipated Fall 2022 or 2023 Keg Spring -- Anticipated Fall 2024 Death Creek -- Unknown Vernon Creek -- BDA installation along treatment reach in Fall 2022 or spring 2023.