Utah Water Research Laboratory Celebrates 60 years, Looks Forward to the Future

Tucked around a bend in the Logan River below first dam, the Utah Water Research Laboratory at Utah State University is turning 60 years old.

The Utah legislature authorized establishment of the laboratory in 1959, with construction beginning is 1963 and the building dedication in 1965, just a year after the Water Resources Research Act signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized a network of water resources research centers at the 54 land grant universities across the nation.

From that time onward, the UWRL has been at the forefront of water and environmental research in Utah and beyond. This unique facility can pass up to 250 cubic feet per second of water, enabling testing and calibrating flow meters, valves and pipes, and any imaginable hydraulic equipment, as well as running scale models of dams and spillways. The addition of an environmental quality laboratory in 1980 and a second hydraulic modeling building in 2009 expanded the lab’s capabilities.

But more important than the building itself is the research and student mentoring that have gone on inside for decades. The UWRL has undertaken major projects addressing drinking water, contaminated soils, fish habitat, ozone remediation, and so many others.

In the 1960s, as computers were beginning to revolutionize research, the UWRL pioneered a hybrid digital/analog computer system to simulate hydrologic processes. The 1970s saw UWRL researchers innovate a one-of-a-kind rainmaker apparatus, enabling studies on highway erosion, agricultural runoff and the durability of Utah’s road signs.

Their efforts also extended internationally, including agricultural projects in Peru that improved irrigation efficiency. During the 1980s and 1990s, the UWRL conducted dam safety assessments in Australia. Entering the 2000s, the lab developed cutting-edge remote sensing technologies and embraced machine learning methodologies, further broadening their impact.

When Oroville Dam, the tallest in the United States, experienced an emergency spillway failure in 2017, the UWRL hydraulics team was called on to assist. Tasked with building a detailed scale model of the spillway, their efforts were instrumental in helping researchers determine the most effective repair solutions. They completed the model in just 40 days.

As the Great Salt Lake has declined to record low levels, UWRL researchers are pursuing research- based solutions to address the challenges. Their efforts focus on modeling and measuring the streamflow needed to maintain the lake at healthy levels, quantifying and limiting the effects of toxic dust, and exploring berm modifications to better manage salinity.

Other researchers are addressing emerging environmental pollutants such PFAS “forever chemicals” and microplastic contamination, while still others are advancing the digital systems that collect and manage big data. These innovations aim to empower stakeholders in overcoming complex water resources challenges.

Over the past 60 years, UWRL faculty experts have guided countless students toward success through these and other pivotal research efforts. As a result, UWRL graduates have emerged as prominent leaders in the water and engineering community, both in Utah and around the world. This network of expertise traces back to Utah State University and the Utah Water Research Laboratory.

As the UWRL charts its course for the next 60 years, it will continue to envision a sustainable water and environmental future for Utah and the world, according to director David Tarboton. In a state as dry as Utah, water will always be a critical research need, particularly as Utah grows and changes. Looking forward, the UWRL mission remains the same: conducting collaborative water and environmental research in Utah and throughout the world to advance innovative solutions, promote scientifically informed policy and management decisions, and train tomorrow’s leaders.

“It is gratifying to see the UWRL’s impact in Utah and across the globe — through the achievements of our graduates, the groundbreaking work they have accomplished, and the application of research conducted at the lab. I look forward to the UWRL continuing to foster collaborative, applied, solution-driven research addressing water and environmental challenges” Tarboton said.

The UWRL is celebrating its diamond anniversary in conjunction with this year’s annual USU Spring Runoff and Northern Utah Water Users Conference on March 25 and 26.

Explore the UWRL through virtual tour videos here.