Unique Abilities Of Utah State's Utah Water Research Lab Win Grant

Unique Abilities Of Utah State's Utah Water Research Lab Win Grant For Professor

Dr. Blake Tullis, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering, was awarded a $325,000 grant from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) to test and develop designs for more natural, environment-friendly highway culverts.

This 30-month grant was awarded to Tullis because Utah State University's Utah Water Research Lab (UWRL) is the only facility in the country with the unique ability to test and measure size scale effects of pipe and flow capacity.

Tullis, along with UWRL senior engineer Steve Barfuss and a few graduate students, will work to design parameters for larger culverts that feature more natural elements similar to streams and rivers.

"Traditional culverts are small and seen as barriers to fish, often preventing them from swimming through," said Tullis. "The new culvert would not only be larger, but would have rocks and sand on the bottom, making it look more like a natural habitat."

Tullis said the larger culverts could also better facilitate debris which frequently blocks passageways in smaller culverts, making it impossible for fish to swim through.