UGS presents expanded flux network, Great Salt Lake and Shorelands monitoring; stations cost about $100K each

UGS groundwater and wetlands staff briefed the board on April 16 about several research and monitoring efforts being deployed across Utah, including an 11-site evapotranspiration (ET) flux network, new work around the Great Salt Lake, and a detailed Shorelands Preserve water-budget study that is already informing restoration actions.

Why it matters: The flux-network data and the Shorelands Preserve study aim to reduce uncertainty in how much water is lost to evaporation and plant uptake (evapotranspiration), information that managers and water-rights planners use to model lake levels and wetland health along the Great Salt Lake and in agricultural basins.

Flux network and partners: Paul (program presenter) described the Utah Flux Network as a set of high-precision flux towers and associated sensors that measure ET, soil moisture and energy exchange. The network has brought in more than $2 million in external, matched funding over five years, and includes partners such as the Colorado River Authority of Utah, the Upper Colorado River Commission, Utah State University, Bureau of Reclamation, Water Resources, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited and AmeriFlux. Equipment cost per site was reported at roughly $100,000; stations transmit half-hourly data and program staff visit sites monthly to download high-frequency records and perform maintenance.

Great Salt Lake work and Phragmites project: Staff described an ongoing effort to place stations at multiple wetland, playa and mineral-pond settings around the lake to ground-truth remotely sensed ET and to study vegetation impacts on water budgets. UGS is partnering with Water Resources and others; a pilot project will monitor Phragmites stands to measure water use before and after invasive-species treatment by Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

Shorelands Preserve water budget: UGS reported a multidisciplinary study of the Shorelands Preserve at the northeastern edge of Farmington Bay that combines continuous surface-flow monitoring, groundwater measurements, vegetation mapping and remote-sensing analysis. The study estimated annual inflows and outflows and concluded that Phragmites stands near the preserve’s margin are consuming a large portion of diffuse outflow — findings now being used to design pond-and-berm restoration projects that create open water and emergent wetlands while reducing phragmites extent.

Groundwater Data Hub and subsidence monitoring: Staff showed improvements to a public Groundwater Data Hub that now includes groundwater-level trends (10-, 15- and 30-year views) and links to Water Rights data. UGS staff also noted ongoing use of satellite-based deformation (InSAR) and other remote sensing to detect subsidence and deformation linked to groundwater pumping; Woods Cross was highlighted as a location where groundwater withdrawal is associated with settlement of infrastructure.

Next steps: Staff said they are seeking additional grant funding to expand station coverage and to analyze lake-brine chemistry tied to lithium and other solutes. They also offered to make station data directly available to stakeholders and continue to publish findings as reports and peer-reviewed papers.