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Integrated Assessment of water quality and stream ecology in the Eagle River Watershed, Colorado, August 2000

By Kirby H. Wynn, khwynn@usgs.gov

Abstract

The Eagle River drains pristine alpine headwaters in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Rapidly increasing urban and recreational land uses in the Eagle River watershed may adversely affect water quality and the aquatic ecosystem. To assess stream conditions in the Eagle River watershed, the U.S. Geological Survey collected samples for chemical analyses of surface water, and for stream habitat, algal- and macroinvertebrate-community analyses during August 2000. Twenty-six sites were sampled in order to bracket and identify key land-use areas affecting water quality and stream ecology. Preliminary interpretation of these data indicates that an integrated sampling approach is necessary to evaluate land-use effects. Assessment of algal-community, macroinvertebrate-community data indicate a variety of non-point sources as well as point sources for dissolved constituents are causing important changes in aquatic community structures as streams flow from generally pristine areas through increasingly developed land use areas.

The integrated collection and interpretation of water-column and biological community data provides a comprehensive understanding of factors affecting water quality and stream ecology. An integrated approach also provides water managers with the multiple lines of evidence needed to determine water policy and make land-planning decisions geared toward protecting water resources.

Wynn, K.H., 2001, Integrated Assessment of Water Quality and Stream Ecology in the Eagle River Watershed, Colorado, August 2000 (abs): Proceedings of the AWRA Colorado Section and Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council Joint Conference, March 15-16, 2001, 1 p.