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Integrated Water-Quality Assessment of the Gore Creek Watershed in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado

By Kirby H. Wynn, khwynn@usgs.gov

Abstract

Gore Creek, the principal stream flowing through Vail, Colorado, originates in pristine alpine headwaters in the Upper Colorado River Basin and is designated a gold medal fishery. Urban and recreational land uses in the watershed may adversely affect water quality and the aquatic ecosystem. To assess water quality in the Gore Creek watershed, the U.S. Geological Survey has collected samples for chemical analyses of surface water, fish tissue, and bed sediment, and for algal-, macroinvertebrate-, and fish-community analyses during 1995 and 1996. Preliminary interpretation of these data indicates that an integrated sampling approach is necessary to evaluate water quality. Trace elements, such as arsenic, lead, and selenium, were detected in bed sediment but not in the water column. Cadmium and selenium were detected in fish-liver tissue but not in the water column. The organochlorine, DDE, was present in fish tissue but not in bed sediment. Assessment of algal-community and surface-water-phosphorus data indicated point-source loading in the lower reach of Gore Creek.

The collection of only one sample type may misrepresent watershed water quality. The integrated collection of water-column, bed-sediment, fish-tissue, and biological-community data provides a comprehensive understanding of water quality in the Gore Creek watershed and provides water managers with multiple lines of evidence to determine water policy and make land-planning decisions to maintain or improve water quality.

Wynn, K.H., 1997, Integrated water-quality assessment of the Gore Creek watershed in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado (abs.): American Water-Resources Association, 1997 Summer Symposium, June 30-July 3, Keystone, Colorado, 1 p.