Increases in coal mining in Colorado have raised questions regarding the impact of mining on the quality of surface water. An area where increases have caused particular concern is in northwestern Colorado, in the southern part of the Yampa River basin. In order to identify the changes produced by mining in the area it is necessary first to identify the water chemistry resulting from the geology, climate, and land use. To answer the above questions, a program for the synoptic collection of water-quality data was developed in which a network of sampling sites was established to determine the surface-water chemistry. This study was begun in April 19&1 Water-quality samples were collected from sites on all continuously flowing streams in the southern part of the Yampa River basin from the Oak Creek drainage near Steamboat Springs on the east to the surface-water gaging station on the Yampa River near Maybel1 on the west. Each water-quality site was sampled repetitively as changes occurred in discharge and specific conductance. Water-quality data from surface-water gaging stations in the area for water years 1976 to 1981 are included in the report. This study was begun in April 1981 in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Water-quality samples were collected to provide data on the existing surface-water chemistry of the area. The objective of this report is to make available that water-chemistry data. DESCRIPTION OF DATA The area of data collection was the southern part of the Yampa River basin from the Oak Creek drainage near Steamboat Sprincis on the east to the surfacewater gaging station 09251000 on the Yampa River near Maybell on the west. The limit of the study because it is downstream station was chosen to mark the westerr included in the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) and is a station for which a large number of water-quality analyses are available. The water-quality sites in the area were established on streams flowing in April 1981. If substantial changes were noted irj geology, climate (primarily the potential for increased evapotranspiration), 6r land use, additional sites were established on the stream. Only the streams that were sampled, the sites in this study, and the established gaging stations at whi|ch water-quality data were available are shown on plate 1. ' At each site several samples were taken tq represent various values of discharge and specific conductance. As the summer oit 1981 progressed, several streams ceased to flow. Therefore fewer samples were obtained from sites on these streams. i For each sample, the instantaneous discharge! of the stream was measured, and the field measurements of water temperature, pH, and specific conductance were recorded. Analyses of the water samples were performed at the Denver Central Laboratory of the U.S. Geological Survey, Arvada, Colo. Analyses and calculations were performed to determine the amounts of the major dissolved constituents. The individual constituents and properties analyzed, together with the units of ...
Coal mining in the upper reaches of the North Fork of the Gunnison River has been a major economic factor in the area for many years. In recent years, concerns about impacts of coal mining on surface-water quality have been raised. To answer such questions, it was necessary to describe the areas natural or background surface-water quality. To achieve this description for the study area, a program for the synoptic collection of water-quality data was established in 1982.Water-quality data was collected on continously flowing streams in the Upper North Fork of the Gunnison River basin in 1982 and 1983. Each site was sampled repetitively as changes occurred in discharge and specific conductance.The water-quality sites in the study area were established in March 1982 and were selected on the basis of differences in geology, land use, and climate. Sites that were sampled in this study are shown in figure 1.Several samples were taken at each site to represent different streamflow and specific-conductance values. Some sites were inaccessible during much of the spring season; therefore, some higher streamflows from snowmelt may not be represented.Onsite measurements of specific conductance, water temperature, pH, and streamflow were recorded for each sample. Analyses and calculations were performed to determine concentrations of major dissolved constituents, nutrients, trace elements, suspended sediment, and water properties. Water sample analyses were performed at the U.S. Geological Survey's Denver Central Laboratory. The trace elements were analyzed for total, dissolved, and suspended concentrations.Onsite measurements and data for the major dissolved constituents collected at sites in this study are shown in tables 2-38 in the "Water-Quality Data" section. Data for nutrients and trace elements from samples collected at these sites are shown in tables 39-75 in the "Water-Quality Data" section.These data are also in the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Storage and Retrieval System (WATSTORE). In addition, a statistical summary of water-quality data collected at two streamflow-gaging stations prior to the start of this study are in tables 76 and 77. These stations have data from the analyses of enumerable water-quality samples; therefore, only a summary of the data is presented, which includes the number of samples, mean, range, and standard deviation, for each constituent. The data are also available from the U.S. Geological Survey's WATSTORE system. WATER-QUALITY DATAThe following abbreviations are used in tables 2-77.
Increases in coal mining in northwestern Colorado have increased concerns about the impact of mining on the chemical quality of surface water. An area of particular concern is in the southern part of the Yampa River basin. To identify the changes produced by mining in this area, it is necessary to determine the present water chemistry resulting from the geology, climate, and land use. Because few data were available, a program for the synoptic collection of water-quality data was developed, in which sampling sites were selected to determine the surface-water chemistry. This study was begun in April 1982. Water-quality samples were collected from sites on continuously flowing streams where a large concentration of suspended material was present. Each selected site, from the Oak Creek drainage near Steamboat Springs on the east, to the surface-water gaging station on the Yampa River near Maybell on the west, was sampled repetitively as changes occurred in discharge and specific conductance. Water-quality data from surface-water gaging stations and other selected surface-water sampling sites in the study area for water years 1976 to 1982 are included in the report. This study began in April 1982, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. It was a continuation of a 1981 study (Maura, 1982) in which water-quality samples were collected to determine concentrations of the major dissolved constituents present in streams of this study area. The objective of this report is to make available the trace-element data collected for selected streams in this study area. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA Data presented in this publication were collected from some of the sites sampled in the 1981 study (Maura, 1982). In that study, 26 sites were sampled in the synoptic data-collection program. The criterion for selecting a stream for sampling was that the stream be flowing in April 1981. In this study, 18 sites were chosen from the original 26 to collect trace-element data. The reduced number of sites results from an additional criterion that a site must have a large concentration of suspended material. In addition to these 18 sites sampled during the study period, 18 established surface-water gaging stations were selected that had similar trace-element data available. Locations of these established surface-water gaging stations and additional surface-water sampling sites are shown in figure 1. The area of data collection was the southern part of the Yampa River basin between the confluence with Oak Creek upstream from Steamboat Springs, downstream to the surface-water gaging station, 09251000 Yampa River near Maybell. This downstream station was chosen as the western limit of the study area because it is included in the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN), and it is a station for which a large number of water-quality analyses are available. DESCRIPTION OF DATA At each study site, water samples were collected as discharge decreased through the season. As flow decreased, suspended-sediment concentration general...
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