EPA Research in Utah

EPA researchers are working hard to protect communities across the nation. Learn about some of the work EPA researchers are doing in Utah.

• Emissions Measurement Methods
• Reducing Harmful Air Pollutants
• Heavy Metal Contamination from Abandoned Mines
• Satellite Derived Measures of Cyanobacteria
• Supporting Evidence-Based Approaches to Nutrient Management
• Studies Advance Air Monitoring During Wildfires and Improve Forecasting of Smoke
• EPA’s EnviroAtlas Publishes Data on Salt Lake City 
• Evaluating Low-cost Air Sensors for Wildfire

For more EPA work, see EPA in Utah.

Emissions Measurement Methods

Oil and natural gas production have increased significantly within Utah’s Uinta Basin, Colorado’s Denver-Julesburg Basin, West Virginia’s Marcellus Shale, and across the United States over the last decades. Oil and natural gas extraction and production activities co-emit volatile organic compounds, and greenhouse gases directly to the atmosphere. EPA's Office of Research and Development, in collaboration with Region 8, is working with Utah and Colorado state officials and oil and gas operators to conduct emissions research on pneumatic controllers used in upstream production. The collaboration will ultimately support better development of US energy assets in ways that also protect human health and the environment.

Reducing Harmful Air Pollutants

For more than 25 years, EPA and states have been using the Office of Research and Development's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Modeling System, a powerful computational tool for air quality management. CMAQ simultaneously models multiple air pollutants, including ozone, particulate matter, and a variety of air toxics to help air quality managers determine the best air quality management scenarios for their states and communities. States, including Utah, use CMAQ to develop and assess implementation actions needed to attain National Ambient Air Quality Standards mandated by the Clean Air Act.

Heavy Metal Contamination from Abandoned Mines

Many Native American communities are impacted by mine wastes and heavy metal contamination from abandoned mines. There is community concern about how these contaminants impact human health and cultural practices. To help address these challenges, the EPA and NIH jointly funded the Center for Native American Environmental Health Equity Research from 2016 to 2021. The Center’s research results informed the work on exposure assessments to metals from private drinking water conducted among communities in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

Satellite Derived Measures of Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria blooms are an environmental and human health problem across the US. They are capable of producing toxins, odors, and surface scum that threaten the health of humans and animals, the quality of drinking water supplies, and the ecosystems in which they develop. EPA developed the CyAN app and CyANWeb, easy-to-use and customizable applications that provide access to algal bloom satellite data for over 2,000 of the largest lakes and reservoirs across the US. CyAN has allowed Utah Department of Environmental Quality to better target field sampling and more efficiently use resources to protect public health.

Supporting Evidence-Based Approaches to Nutrient Management

Excess nutrients impact the use of lakes and rivers nationwide by making it difficult to fish, swim, and boat safely. In Utah, EPA researchers trained water quality managers on methods to combine multiple kinds of evidence showing how nutrients affect the health of their lakes. Using this approach, the Utah Lake Science Panel will help determine what nutrient levels will protect this special place and inform solutions for maintaining or reducing nutrients so Utah Lake can be enjoyed by the public.   

Studies Advance Air Monitoring During Wildfires and Improve Forecasting of Smoke

July 30, 2019- EPA researchers are tackling smoke issues from wildfires. Researchers are driving mobile laboratories to wildfires as they occur in the Northwest. Their research will improve the ability to predict smoke from both wildfires and prescribed burns and determine what air monitors are best for measuring smoke from wildfires. Read Studies Advance Air Monitoring During Wildfires and Improve Forecasting of Smoke. 

EPA’s EnviroAtlas Publishes Data on Salt Lake City, UT 

Fine scale data and maps for Salt Lake City were added to the available resources in EPA's EnviroAtlas, an interactive and free web-based tool that combines maps, analysis tools, fact sheets, and downloadable data to inform state and local policy and planning decisions. The fine scale community maps added for Salt Lake City show information accurate down to the census block and 1-meter resolution, making accurate neighborhood-tailored planning a reality. Read more about new urban data added to EnviroAtlas.  

Evaluating Low-cost Air Sensors for Wildfire Smoke

Recent advances in sensor technology sparked a rise in commercially available, low-cost air sensors that measure particulate matter, a harmful component of wildfire smoke. EPA researchers are working with partners to deploy and evaluate them areas impacted by wildfires. Read Evaluating Low-cost Air Sensor Performance Near Wildfires.