• UCOL staff is participating in a regional study of temporal and spatial trends in dissolved solids. This study involves areas within the California and Basin and Range Aquifers as well as rivers in the Rio Grande, Colorado, and Great Basins. Objectives of this study include:
  • To identify spatial and temporal variations in dissolved-solids concentrations in ground water and surface water that result from natural and human processes.
  • To characterize the increases in salts in ground water and loads in surface water that result from natural and human processes.
  • To identify salinity patterns that may affect water uses and aquatic communities.
    
    
• Two UCOL surface water sites are part of the NAWQA Cycle II Surface Water Trends Network (see map below).
  
  • Site 09163500, Colorado River at Colorado-Utah state line is the outlet of the study unit. The site is an integrator for all land-use and anthropogenic affects on water quality.
    
  • Dry Fork of Roan Creek, station 09095300, was chosen as a reference site for the Colorado Plateau physiographic province. There is a small amount of ranching in the basin, but the site is representative of small streams in the Colorado Plateau. This site was operated during the HIP of 1996-1998 and was reestablished in November 2000 as part of the NAWQA surface water trends network.
    
  • Surface water samples were collected for the analysis of nutrient, major ion, and pesticide (State Line site) concentrations. Habitat and biological samples were collected in August at the State Line and Dry Fork sites.
    
    
• Six ground water wells within UCOL were selected to be a part of the NAWQA Cycle II Ground Water Trends Network
  
  • Four wells from the UCOL Cycle I urban land use study were sampled once in 2004 as part of the ground water trends network. These wells are located in Gunnison, Crested Butte, Vail, and Tabernash. USGS station numbers:
    • Gunnison--383232106554700
    • Crested Butte--385213106584700
    • Vail--393830106210600
    • Tabernash--395929105510300
      
  • Two new wells (Silverthorne and the Frisco Reference well) were installed and sampled in 2004 and added to the NAWQA Cycle II ground water trends network. USGS station numbers:
    • Silverthorne--393758106041401
    • Frisco--393431106070801
      
  • Ground water samples were analyzed for nutrients, pesticides, VOC's, trace metals, and major ions.
  • These wells will be sampled again in water year 2006.

Click on site location for photograph of site

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