Plans for monitoring spring flow in northern Snake Valley

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Plans for monitoring spring flow in northern
Snake Valley

• Presented at December 9, 2008 multidisciplinary
  meeting
• Spring 2009 installation
• Ideas WELCOME!

Coyote Spring, Tule Valley
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Spring selection criteria

• Not currently monitored
• Relatively easy to monitor flow
• Home to ecologically important fauna
• May show early impacts of water balance changes

Miller Ranch Spring
Leland Harris Spring
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Best candidates

• Twin (Bishop Springs area)
• Foote Reservoir
• Miller Ranch
• Beck
• Dearden Ranch
• Also evaluated
• Leland Harris (surface flow too diffuse so done
  with piezometers)
• Coyote Spring (too diffuse)
• Knoll (done by others)
• Gandy Salt Marsh (surface flow too diffuse so
  done with piezometers)

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Potential spring monitoring locations
Tule Valley
Spring Valley
Snake Valley
Hwy 6/50
Garrison
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Spring locations in northern Snake Valley
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Twin Springs

• Home to the Least Chub
• Fenced
• Two distinct pools discharge to narrow channels
• Flow?
• 1000 gpm large pool?
• 500 gpm small pool?
• 450 mg/L TDS
• Water rights Utah DWR, BLM

Foote Res.
Twin
4 km
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Twin Springs
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South pool
Flume with stilling well
Outlet ditch potential flume site
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North pool
Preferred flume site
Optional flume site
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Plans for Twin Springs

• Clear out willows and brush near installation
  sites.
• Install 6 Parshall flume in the south pool
  outlet and a 3 Parshall flume in the north pool
  outlet downgradient of the spring pools.
• Possible to do this by hand with shovels? May
  need backhoe. No easy access for large equipment
  inside fenced area many trees.
• Install submerged pressure transducer in stilling
  well on flume with data logger to record stage.
  Stage is easily converted to flow according to
  standard table.
• Install a weatherproof shelter for the data
  logger and a solar panel.
• Optional install satellite telemetry station.
• Repair fence to keep cattle out. Hire local
  rancher.

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Problems with monitoring Twin Springs

• Lots of trees surround spring pools. Flumes may
  become clogged with branches regularly. Flumes
  vs. weirs?
• Difficult access for large equipment.
• May need four pressure transducers if downstream
  ends have submerged flow conditions.

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Foote Reservoir
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Foote Reservoir

• Used for irrigation
• Two outlets irrigation pipe and vertical culvert
• Flow 500-700 gpm?
• Water rights Herman Young, Utah DWR

Foote Res.
Twin
4 km
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Foote Reservoir and overflow outlet
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Foote Reservoir irrigation works
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Plans for Foote Reservoir

• IRRIGATION DIVERSION WORKS
• Coordinate with private owner install ultrasonic
  external flow meter or inline magnetic flow meter
  in irrigation outlet pipe.
• Can tie into power source? OR Install solar panel
  and telemetry.
• OVERFLOW DISCHARGE PIPE
• Install mouse type submerged pressure
  transducer or flow transducer in pipe, or a
  v-notch weir under pipe.
• Install data logger, weatherproof housing, solar
  panel, telemetry.
• ESTABLISH RATINGS CURVE
• Use backhoe and sandbags to narrow the outlet
  channel so we can use an open channel velocity
  meter and measure flow periodically.
• OR use backhoe and sandbags to install our 3
  portable Parshall flume for one season.

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Possible v-notch flume device
Use portable Parshall flume in modified channel
to establish ratings curve
Alternate monitoring point
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Problems with monitoring Foote Reservoir

• Ultrasonic flow meters may need AC power.
• Water is turbulent in outlet pipe. Transducer
  should be able to take average stage.
• Discharge area is wide. Establishing a rating
  curve here may be difficult.

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Beck Spring
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Beck Spring

• Flow 20 gpm from pipe
• Water rights and land owned by Baker

Gandy Road
Beck Spring
500 m
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Beck Spring
Pool
Dam
Dam
Discharge through dam
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Beck Spring
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Plans for Beck Spring

• Use backhoe to remove rusted pipe and create
  channel for weir
• Install a small v-notch weir on the top of the
  reservoir dam
• Install data logger, weatherproof housing, solar
  panel, telemetry.
• Problems High possibility of more discharge
  downgradient of reservoir dam and pipe. Would be
  missing this flow. To measure this, we could
  instead install a small v-notch weir 100 feet or
  so down the channel.

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Beck spring outflow. Spring located in trees.
Possible v-notch flume device on top of dam.
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Miller Ranch Spring
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Miller Ranch Spring

• Flow 100 gpm?
• Water rights Ed Alder

Miller Ranch Spring
Leland Harris Spring?
4 km
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Miller Ranch Spring
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Miller Ranch outlet
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Plans for Miller Ranch

1. Plug seeps through impoundment
2. Use backhoe to dig new channel across dam
3. Install a prefab H-flume or machine shop v-notch
   weir at the same level as current outlet
   structure.
4. Use backhoe to dig out existing pipe. Backfill
   with bentonite clay and other impermeable
   materials.
5. Install submerged pressure transducer behind
   weir/flume, data logger, weatherproof housing,
   solar panel, satellite station.
6. Repair fence. Hire local rancher.

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Possible measuring devices for use at Miller
Ranch spring
?
?
?
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Problems with monitoring Miller Ranch

• Dam leaks badly.
• Spring pool has lots of branches and debris.
  Outlet may become clogged regularly.
• Cattle downstream from outlet pipe prohibit
  repeated downstream measurement of flow.

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Dearden Ranch springs location
Hwy 21
Davies Ranch
Burbank
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Dearden Ranch Spring Area
841 m
3.3 km
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Dearden Ranch
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Plans for Dearden Ranch

1. Install one stream gauge monitoring site
   upgradient of the springs and one down gradient.
2. Possible equipment flume, v-notch weir, or
   rectangular weirs.
3. Install submerged pressure transducer behind
   weir/flume, data logger, weatherproof housing,
   solar panel, satellite station.
4. Install fences around sites? Hire local rancher.

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Discussion

1. Methods
2. Equipment
3. Sites
4. Monitoring frequency

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• Coyote Spring, Tule Valley

• 20 gpm? from culvert. Entire spring 500gpm?
• Previous est 100 - 370 gpm.

415 m