Water bLog Newsletter
October 2026
The Water bLog is the semi-annual newsletter of the Utah Center for Water Resources Research (UCWRR) (opens in a new window), housed at the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) (opens in a new window). Each issue reports on a small selection of current or recently completed research projects and other topics of interest.
Photo by Matt Jensen
Message from the Director: Bethany Neilson
After a record-low snowpack and a dry summer, all Utah eyes are on water decline, from the Great Salt Lake to the Colorado River and across the Western US. Statewide issues require statewide connections, as well as collaborations beyond our borders. The Utah Water Research Laboratory is at the center of water and environmental research and innovation, and our impact is multiplied by the incredible people we work with.
In the last six months, we have hosted numerous legislators, industry leaders, and university experts, showcasing our unique lab's capabilities and discussing where research and data are needed to inform decision-makers. It is these connections that enable us to serve Utah and find solutions for water sustainability.
Our faculty and students continue to produce research results and work to get critical information into the hands and minds of those who can use it. We are proud to highlight some of our recent student achievements and awards in this issue of the Water bLog.
Water and environmental concerns affect every Utahn, and together we can find solutions. We look forward with an optimism rooted in results for Utah's water future.
Photo by Jared Gereau
Utah Board of Higher Education and Legislators Come to the UWRL
Members of the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) and Utah legislators came to tour the Utah Water Research Laboratory on Monday, June 22. Guided by Director Beth Neilson and accompanied by USU President Brad Mortensen, they learned about the important work we do in hydraulics, water resources, and environmental quality. We appreciate the time and effort our legislators and government agencies put toward managing water in Utah and their significant positive feedback and continued interest in the UWRL. Together, we can find sustainable solutions for this precious resource.
Research Spotlight: Water Main Breaks in the USA and Canada
Since its release, Water Main Break Rates in the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study has become a top influential publication, currently ranking in the top ten most-downloaded papers on USU's Digital Commons. The report earned coverage across national news outlets in both industry-specific and mainstream media. The author, UWRL professor Steve Barfuss, received the American Water Works Association's (AWWA) best article award in the Distribution and Plant Operations Division. Barfuss and the UWRL continue to shape conversations around aging water infrastructure with this valuable research.
Utah's Water Network Hosts a Faculty Meeting
Utah's Water Faculty Network meeting was an event hosted by the UWRL that brought together over 80 water faculty from five universities. This meeting focused on an overview of the UWN goals and collectively identifying Utah's water challenges.
The network's goals are to identify Utah's water sectors and partner groups, identify key water issues, and facilitate solutions by connecting related people and organizations, providing research, technical, policy, and business support, and helping optimize investments.
Utah's Water Network strengthens Utah's capacity to address complex water challenges by convening research, industry, government, Tribal, nonprofit, and community partners to advance science-informed collaboration, innovation, and implementation.
Recent News
With over 20 news mentions in the last six months, Utah Water Research Laboratory faculty and students have been sharing their expertise and research throughout Utah and across the nation. Here are a few highlights:
- USU researchers modeling burn scars to predict potential flood severity (opens in a new window)
- The Colorado River's largest reservoirs plummet to all-time lows as plans for basin remain precarious (external website, opens in a new window)
- Keeping current: USU experts track Colorado River as regional water crisis deepens (opens in a new window)
- Three USU professors urge Utah to clean up the air ahead of Utah 2034 Winter Olympics (external website, opens in a new window)
- A lifelong connection to water inspires a legacy of opportunity (opens in a new window)
- Pine needles predict air quality? USU researcher says yes (opens in a new window)
- Research spotlight: How wildfires worsen flood risk (external website, opens in a new window)
- New USGS tool fills in the gaps on US water supply (external website, opens in a new window)
- Utah grapples with unprecedented water conditions in the year of the "no-pack" (external website, opens in a new window)
- How this year's "no-pack" is rewriting what we know about Utah's water supply system (external website, opens in a new window)
Awards & Achievements
Ehsan Ebrahimi Receives Early Career Paper Award
Graduate student Ehsan Ebrahimi won the inaugural Early Career Paper Award at the 2026 CIROH Developer conference for his paper Extended Hydrofabric: A Standardized Geospatial Database for Reproducible Water Management Modeling in the United States.
Amr Ellethy Wins Best Poster
Graduate student Amr Ellethy won the Best Poster award at the 2026 Spring Runoff Conference and the USU Student Research Symposium. His poster was entitled Longitudinal Assessment of PPCPs and PFAS Systemic Resilience and Mitigation Strategies in Biosolid-Amended Agricultural Soils.
Nina Tasic Wins Prestigious Scholarship
Graduate student Nina Tasic won a scholarship from the Air and Waste Management Association (AWWA) Great Basin Chapter.