Media Inquiry:
Hollie Brown
PIO, Utah Geological Survey
holliebrown@utah.gov  801-243-9466

PRESS RELEASE: Weather stations throughout the state measure water movement from land to air

Utah Flux Network provides real-time ET data to support informed water management decisions and help ensure the sustainable use of the state’s resources.
A weather station standing in a marshy area.

Weather station at Farmington Bay

Salt Lake City (October 15, 2024) – The Utah Geological Survey (UGS), with support from the Colorado River Authority of Utah,  the Utah Division of Water Rights, and the Utah Division of Water Resources, is establishing the Utah Flux Network, a network of weather stations throughout the state that measure evapotranspiration (ET), the combination of water that is evaporated from the land’s surface and transpired by plants.

This network is critical for improving water management across Utah. By providing real-time ET data, the network will help agencies, landowners, and researchers make informed decisions on water use, ensuring sustainable management of Utah’s water resources. These stations are part of an international network, Ameriflux, that supplies data for models of global climate conditions, including the carbon and water cycles.

“Water exits the state primarily through ET. Despite its importance, we lack accurate measurements for many of Utah’s crops and natural vegetation,” said UGS Hydrogeologist Paul Inkenbrandt. “These measurements are critical for managing water resources, including efforts to quantify water loss from the Great Salt Lake and assess the effectiveness of agricultural efficiency improvements.”

The UGS has installed 10 stations in Emery, Grand, San Juan, Uintah, Tooele and Davis counties. UGS hydrogeologists work with landowners who are willing to share water use information to select locations best suited for weather stations that could provide the most accurate and beneficial data. UGS plans to install one more full station near Green River and two smaller stations in places yet to be determined.

The Division of Water Rights initiated efforts to measure ET in the state with two early stations, and the Upper Colorado River Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation funded most of the current stations and equipment.

“Water Rights supports this network because we need a way to compare ground and remote measurements,” said Division of Water Rights Assistant State Engineer Jim Reese. “This is important to validate and improve remote measurement.”

Recently, a station was installed at Farmington Bay in an area heavily populated by phragmites, an invasive grass-like plant that has taken over wetlands across North America. This station is part of a three-station collaborative effort with the University of Utah, funded by the Utah Division of Water Resources, which will help evaluate how phragmites impact Great Salt Lake’s wetlands and more accurately quantify the volume of water that evaporates from Great Salt Lake. The data is vital in the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan water budget and its evaluation of strategies to balance the available water supply.

The Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited have been key partners in securing site locations. By leveraging their connections in the Upper Colorado River Basin, they have helped UGS engage with local landowners.

For additional information, visit geology.utah.gov.